Purple & Blue
by TheScribeOfTheBat
Summary: The world of Batman changes for the better.
1. Had To Fly

Bruce opened his eyes. His arm was numb.

He looked at the time on the digital clock next to him. It was five in the morning. He looked toward his sore shoulder.

Selina was still asleep, still making those sounds. The mascara she was wearing last night was smeared around her eyes. He thought she looked like a raccoon. Bruce made an amused grunt.

The gears in his head started to turn. He told her how he felt, they took off their masks, she invited him to her home, he showed her his scars, and they finally done it. In one night.

Were things going too fast? Should he have stopped her advances?

No. They'd known each other for... how long had it been? Ten... twelve years?

Oh shit. He forgot about the stock holder meeting at eight-thirty-four. He had to be there.

God damn it.

"Kitten?"

She didn't budge. He'd only slept about three hours, but he'd trained himself to sleep in short intervals.

He thought about what he should do. He didn't want to wake her when she kept making those cute sounds.

He pulled himself out from under her and laid her head on the pillow gently. He brushed a tuff of her hair out of her eyes.

He pulled off the used profilactic and dropped it into the garbage can next to the stand.

He got out of bed and fished around in the mess of clothes for his boxers. He grabbed it and slipped it on. He grabbed his armored leggings and slipped those on as well.

He opened the door only to be greeted by the same maine coon from last night along with an orange tabby. He closed the door behind him gently. He then studied the two creatures as they studied him. He noticed they both had name tags. He was suprised he didn't notice the one on Whiskers last night. Selina always did have that effect him. He squatted down and grabbed the orange cat's nametag in his fingers.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Kitty." he pet the cat on the head. She pulled away from him and sniffed his hand. Bruce held it in front of her steadily. She stopped sniffing and headbutted his hand.

Bruce stood up and addressed the cats as he would one of his sidekicks.

"Let her sleep, okay? I have some things I need to plan and I need her well rested."

The cats stared at him. They started to lick their lips.

"Hungry?"

The cats both cocked their heads, their pupils dilated.

"Okay, I'll feed you after I get dressed."

The cats pranced off down the hall.

Bruce walked over to the couch and found the rest of the batsuit. He put the plated shirt back on. He then slipped on the boots, fastening the shin guards. He grabbed the gauntlets and slipped them on. He tightened the straps, causing the defensive blades on the gauntlet to pop out. He then grabbed the cowl and put it over his head, pulling the cowl on. He pressed the hidden button in the collar. The cape tightened, the material of the mask around his neck and head shifted into shape, securing the cape for gliding and creating that monstrous mask that conformed to his face. The lenses shifted into place perfectly.

Batman grabbed his utility belt, wrapped it around his hips, and buckled it.

His lenses alerted him to an incoming call.

He pressed a gloved finger to the side of the mask.

"Good morning, Alfred."

"Master Bruce! You've been offline for hours. Is everything alright? Where are you?"

"I'm fine. I'm at Selina's."

"You mean Ms. Kyle, sir?"

"Mmm-hmm."

"So... she's-"

"She's Catwoman, yes."

"I see... and is Ms. Kyle aware of your true identity as well?"

"Yeah," Bruce couldn't help but smile as he said this, but the smile quickly faded as he'd realized how much of an ass he could be.

"I'm sorry, I should of told you about us... about how I was going to tell her."

"Sir... Bruce,"

Alfred rarely dropped his professional demeanor, but he felt that addressing the man he considered his son this way was appropriate.

"I'm glad you trust Ms. Kyle enough to tell her. Whenever you've returned home the past month, you looked, dare I say, happy. I didn't know what, or whom, illuminated you in such a way, but I am glad to see it."

Bruce wondered what that feeling he had the past month was. He'd felt less angry and lonely. less like the world only made sense if he forced it too.

"Maybe..." Bruce began, but trailed off into thought.

"Well perhaps we could continue this discussion after you've returned. You have a meeting in two hours."

"Can't wait." Bruce replied flatly.

"Was that... sarcasm, sir?"

"She's asleep right now," Batman asserted, dodging the question, "I'm going to make sure her cats are fed, then I'll be on my way."

"Very good, sir... wait. 'Feed the cats', sir?" Batman disconnected the call.

Batman brought the cape over his shoulders. He went around the couch and found the kitchen. He walked inside and spotted the cat food. He grabbed two cans that he thought the cats would like and a bowl from one of the cabinets. He peeled back the the lid, expecting the cats to come barreling in. They didn't, surprisingly. He dumped the food in the bowl. He picked it up and walked across the living room, down the hall, and stopped at a room with an open door.

"They have their own room. Interesting." Batman thought out loud.

The room was rather large, covered in houses, bridges, and scratching posts.

In the middle the cats sat patiently, flicking their tails.

Batman looked at a couple of bowls against the wall. He walked over to them and dumped some of the food into each. The cats ran to the bowls and dug in.

Batman took the bowl back to the kitchen and placed it in the sink.

He thought he should probably leave a note. Maybe just text her phone? No, she likes notes. It's how this whole thing started. He went back into Selina's room, thinking there might be a pen and paper in one of the stands. She's a gorgeous woman who socialized with Gotham's upper class, surely he's not the only guy she's had over for... activities.

Batman opened her door. She was still asleep, still making those purrs and snores he liked. He silently made his way to the stand. He pulled the drawer to find a few pens and small pieces of paper. He wrote out something he thought sounded sweet and placed the paper on the stand.

He walked to the door and stopped. He turned around and looked at Selina. He walked over to her bedside. He then kissed her temple and stroked her hair.

"Love you kitten." he whispered.

He walked out the door, closing it behind him. He made his way to the sliding door and opened it, stepping onto the balcony. He closed the door behind him.

Batman stepped onto the railing, pressed the Batmobile Retrieval button and looked at the street below, a targeting symbol appearing in the lense. He pressed the button on his gauntlet again, then dove off. He dove ninety degrees to the street below. He spotted the car moving toward him. It sped to an empty road under him and drifted into park, right where he designated.

Nearing the car, Batman opened the cape, slowing his descent. The top hatch on the driver side of the car slid open. Batman dropped inside and grabbed the wheel. He pushed the stick lever forward, igniting the engine.

He slammed the gas pedal and sped down the street.


	2. The Bat Wears Prada

Bruce sat in his reserved chair at WE headquarters. He twiddled with a pen impatiently. All he could think about was getting out of there and going back to his lover. Everybody around him was a blur of faces, voices, and fancy suits.

Finally, the meeting ended and everyone started to pack up, Bruce was still twiddling with the pen like an idiot.

"Mister Wayne, with all due respect," a soothing, calm voice addressed the pen twiddling CEO "did you pay _any _attention to that meeting?"

"Oh... sorry Lucius, my head is just..."

"Not here... well maybe it was for the best I'll make sure your affairs are in order when he forclose."

"Wait, what?!"

Lucius grinned ear to ear.

"Sorry to alarm you Mister Wayne... but I just couldn't resist."

Lucius laughed and sat back down in the chair next to him.

"If I may inquire, where is that brilliant mind of yours today."

"You're not my therapist Lucius." a half smirk appeared on Bruce's face.

"Hm... interesting... so what's her name?"

Bruce glared at his friend. He finally stopped glaring.

"How...?"

"I have a son, Bruce. I've had to talk to him about girls, as I'm sure you've had with Dick."

Bruce hesitated.

He sighed.

"Selina."

"Pretty name... Kyle?"

"Yeah." Bruce smiled, thinking about her. Those hypnotic green eyes, that wavy black hair, those noises she made when she slept...

Bruce trailed off into thought. Lucius noticed the way he twitched his lip.

"She's not just another girl for Bruce Wayne to be seen at parties with, is she?"

"No, speaking of which," Bruce stood up and loosened his tie, "I'll be on my way. Four hours of chatter about things I ususally leave to you has left me resltess."

"Very good Mr. Wayne," Lucius stood up and reached for his hand "I'll make sure everything is in order."

Bruce shook his friend's hand and walked around the table and exited through the glass doors. He took a left down the hall towards his private elevator. He pressed his thumb to the scanner. The silver doors opened.

"**_Welcome, Mr. Wayne._**" a robotic female voice chimed.

Bruce stepped into the elevator and pressed his thumb identically shaped scanner within

"**_Where to, Mr. Wayne?_**"

"Garage." Bruce growled.

The elevator beeped excitedly and began it's long descent to the basement garage.

Just what he needed: more waiting.

He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out his phone. He dialed the number Catwoman handed to Batman a week before. He then pressed the 'create new contact' button. He entered her first name in the designated bar, then her last.

_Why so formal_,_ hot stuff_? he imagined Catwoman's smooth purring voice teasing him.

He held down her first name and pressed 'select all'. He pressed backspace and type out that nickname she told him to stop saying.

**Kitten.**

He then selected her last name and backspaced that as well. He then directed his attention to her empty contact picture. He hadn't set one for anyone. He isn't the kind of man that's particular about things about his stupid smart phone. He had things to worry about like the state of his company (when it's actually relevant) or making sure people don't know that Bruce Wayne is secretly Batman.

Bruce started to clench his fists. He hadn't even thought about what he would do with Selina.

_Hmmm... what **do** you want to do **with** me? _he again imagined the femme fatale teasing him.

_Not like that, kitten... maybe later._

The elevator finally stopped. Bruce untied his tie and rested it on the back of his neck. He exited the elevator and scanned the garage full of stupidly expensive cars.

He found his dark blue Lamborghini Mercielago with two yellow stripes on the hood. He pulled a key from his suit jacket and double pressed the key. The car chirped and flashed the turning signals.

Bruce walked over to the car, opened the door, and sat down. He closed the door and pressed the 'on' button. The engine turned over loudly. The bluetooth screen in the middle of the dash flashed on.. He scrolled through his contacts, selected _Kitten_ and pressed the green phone icon.

The phone rang through the high-def stereos.

"Heeyyyy stud." Selina purred seductively.

"Thought you'd like the note." Bruce smiled.

"I did," Selina dropped the femme fatale act and started with a sweet one, "it was nice. Thank you."

"So what have you been up to?" Bruce asked as he put the car in gear and drove out of the large garage.

"Just exercised a little. You don't get this perfect ass by sitting on it all day."

Bruce was at the tunnel when she said this. He stopped the car, lost in thought. He was thinking of that display she put on for him when she brought him home... the way she bent over, displaying her aforementioned shapely rear. She stood upright and stretched her arms bending to and fro...

"Pumpkin?"

He snapped back into reality and drove down the street, away from WE headquarters.

"Sorry, what were you saying?"

"You didn't hear a word I said!" Selina sounded unimpressed.

"Sorry," Bruce smirked, "I was thinking about how perfect you are."

He wanted to say how perfect her ass was and that he wanted bend her over, but he thought that sounded crude.

Selina sighed over the call.

"You're good." she finally conceded.

"I try. I'm almost at your place."

"Mrrroow. Can't wait. Loveyoubye!" she chirped into the phone before disconnecting.

Bruce laughed at his weird girlfriend.

Girlfriend? That sounded so weird to him.

Who was the last _real _girlfriend he had?

Oh right.

Talia Head.

He remembered how Talia told him over and over about how much she loved him. He'd started to fall for her too, but he told her he never wanted to see her again after he caught her trying to spike his drink. He later found out that her father was Ra's Al Ghül, and that he had selected Bruce as 'Al-Sa Him': the successor to the demon.

She then returned to Gotham with a boy named Damian.

His son.

She had her captive scientists extract his DNA from a scimitar stained with his blood.

The boy was raised to be a soldier, to be a killer.

Regardless of the circumstances, he was his son.

"What about the criminal filth you declared war on? What about the human stain that killed your family? They don't _deserve_ mercy!" his son told him after being found beating a thug almost to death.

"No, but they get it anyways because it's right. Justice, Damian. Not vengeance."

"You've never felt vengeful?"

Bruce pulled back his mask and knelt to meet his sons eyes.

He had his father's bright blue eyes, but his mother's dark skin.

"Of course I do... everyday, and when I feel like that volcanoe might erupt, I look to my family, people like Alfred, Leslie, or Dick. You can look to them too, they'll always be there for you, and so will I."

Bruce thought the best way to keep his son in the light was for him to take up the mantle as Robin. After a month, Talia returned for him.

"Come, Damian." his mother commanded. She had tresspassed into the Bat Cave.

"No mother, I'm Robin now, and Batman needs Robin."

He was so proud of the boy.

Bruce was still reflecting when he parked his car in front of Selina's building. He pulled out his phone and texted her.

**I'm on my up.**

Three dots appeared. They wiggled, then her came reply:

**Meow ;)**

Bruce chuckled. He slipped the phone back into his pants. He pulled down the sunshade and opened the mirror. He looked very sharp, the suit was a three piece Prada.

He thought he should look more casual. He pulled off the jacket and tie, rolled up his sleeves, and unbuttoned the top four buttons on his shirt. He then grabbed his coat, fished out the key, then folded it and placed it on the passenger seat. He then opened the door, stepped out, double pressed the lock button, then started towards the door.


	3. Best Laid Plans

Selina Kyle sat on her couch, petting Miss Kitty, who was lying on her lap.

She heard a knock at the door. She got up expediently, inadvertently making Miss Kitty tumble on to her back on the carpet. She rushed to the door and stopped in front of it.

"Who is it?" Selina chirped.

Bruce, on the the other side looked down both ends of the hall to make sure no one was near. He then leaned into the door.

"I'm Batman."

Selina cackled. She opened the door.

"Hey Pumpkin."

"Hey Kitten."

Bruce stood there his hands in his pockets smiling. She thought he looked like a hunk. Bruce took a second to take her in as well. She was wearing loose socks, a pair of faded blue skinny jeans, and a black tank top that exposed her lower midriff and belly button.

He knew she picked out that oufit deliberately. People don't just lounge around in skinny jeans-

"My eyes are up here, sweetie."

Bruce chuckled and took a step forward. He was now standing right in front of her. He caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers on his right hand. He looked into her bright green eyes.

"Okay, I'm looking at 'em."

Selina kissed his hand. she then gently grabbed his shirt and pulled him inside. Bruce closed the door behind them. When he turned back to Selina, she kissed his lips.

Bruce rested his forehead against Selina's, their eyes closed.

"You fed them dinner." Selina whispered.

"Hrm?"

"My babies. You fed them dinner. They get the tuna for breakfast. You fed them the chicken with gravy. That's dinner."

Bruce pulled away. Selina opened her eyes.

"I was trying to be nice!"

"I know hon. It _was_ nice."

She took his hand and led him to the couch. She sat him down.

"You hungry?" she asked, starting toward the fridge. He watched her hips and shoulders shifting with every step.

"Yeah, I haven't eaten since this morning."

"What're you in the mood for?" Selina chirped from the fridge.

"Maybe just a greek yogurt for now. I don't want us to fill up just yet."

"Why not?" Selina asked, pulling out two cups of yogurt from her fancy smart fridge.

"I thought maybe we could have dinner at my house."

Selina approached the couch, brandishing two yogurt cups with a spoon in each. She handed one to him. She then sat down. Bruce shovelled a spoonful into his mouth. Selina bit a spoonful herself.

"Hm." Bruce grunted with amusement inadvertently.

"What?"

"Oh...uh... nothing."

"Come on." Selina grinned and nudged his knee with her foot.

"This yogurt is grape."

"Uh-hunh?"

"It just... It kinda reminds me of the flavored lipstick you wear when you're Catwoman."

Selina's devious grin turned into a blushing smile.

"You're sweet."

"No... but I try."

Bruce looked at his watch. It was already almost seven.

"We should get going-"

Bruce began before his watch vibrated intensely.

"You're vibrating." Selina pointed out coyly.

Bruce raised an eyebrow, "I noticed."

He pressed the face down, popping it open, revealing a small ear piece. He inserted it into his ear.

"Yeah?" Bruce replied angrily.

Selina continued to nonchalantly eat her yogurt. Bruce listened to the voice in his ear for a minute before taking his finger off the piece.

"That...was the League. I... I have to go..." Bruce informed her regretfully, "rain check?"

"Rain check. Go be a good guy."

Bruce rushed to the door and paused. He rushed back to the back of the couch, kissed Selina's temple, then rushed back to the door and walked out.


	4. Time To Go To Work

Bruce made his was to the elevator down the hall from Selina's penthouse. He pressed the ground floor button and pulled out his phone. He opened the number entry and held down the 'two' button.

The phone began ringing.

The ringing stopped.

"Alfred, are you in the cave?"

"On the contrary sir, I've been trimming the hedges. I'm on my way now."

"Call me back when you get there."

Bruce hung up and touched his index finger to the ear piece.

"Batman to Justice League," He lowered his voice an octave into a bass-y growl that everyone calls his 'Batman voice', "Do we know who's opening the boom tubes?"

"GL here," Hal Jordon replied, "This looks like another one of Steppenwulf's shitty attmpts to impress Darkseid."

"Parademons?" Bruce asked as the elevator reached the ground floor.

"Yup, a lot- OW!"

"Lantern?!"

The elevator opened and Bruce ran out the Lobby.

"MOTHERFUCKER BIT ME!"

Bruce heard another voice over the comms laugh.

"NOT FUNNY, BARRY!" Lantern shouted at the laughing voice.

"Hey! Hey! Codenames over comms!" The Flash retorted.

Bruce made his way outside only to spot a dozen green, bug-looking, golden armored, mindless drones marching down the street adjacent to his. Bruce could handle about two or three parademons at a time, but upwards of fifty is a little out of his ballpark. Luckily he had an ace up his sleeve.

He touched his finger to his ear piece.

"Alfred?"

"Present, sir."

"I'm gonna need my suit."

"Already on it's way sir. There is a rather convenient alley across the street from Ms. Kyle's home."

"Thanks Alfred, but I'm gonna need the _other_ one."

"Sir..."

"I know you hate it, but I'm gonna need it's punch... literally."

"Very well sir." Alfred sighed and could be heard typing a code into the BatComputer, "Requesting your authorization, sir."

Bruce looked at his watch and saw the bat emblem appear on his watch face. He spoke the code into his watch.

"Hexagon. Epilogue. Lynx. Lucas. Beacon. Alchemy. Tyrannosaurus."

"**_Confirmed,_**" the batcomputer's robotic female voice chirped in his ear, "**_Stand by for Hellbat Descent_**."

The Flying Fox, his bat-themed VTOL aircraft, sped over head, dropping two pods. One was much larger than the other. The pods' afterburners ignited, slowing their descent, landing on the building across the street.

Bruce ran into the alley and began climbing the fire escape.


	5. You Will Be Worse

Batman stood in front of a large, black pod on top of a building across the street from Selina's penthouse.

He pressed a button in his gauntlet, opening the pod. Inside was a sixteen foot-tall black batsuit with a large red oval on the chest with a bat silhouette inside. He reached for the emblem in order to enter it, but was stopped by the blinking icon in his lense.

"What?" Batman growled.

"Sir, please pace yourself. That... _thing_... can kill you."

"Noted." Batman hung up.

He touched the emblem, opening the front in a way that reminded him of an autopsy. He stepped into the suit, turning to allign himself with the suit. The helmet and suit closed around him. He felt a slight wave of vertigo pass over him.

"_**Neural link re-established. Hellbat suit ready.**" _the suit's bass-y voice vibrated the helmet. Batman stepped out of the pod.

"**_Metabolism at 100%_**""

With a mere thought, Batman activated the wings on the back, propelling him upward. He stopped fifty meters up and scanned the street.

"**_Hostiles detected._**" the suit informed him as he set his gaze upon the marching parademons. The GCPD were engaging them.

"Call Jim."

"**_Calling James Gordon._**"

Batman initiated an eighty degree dive.

"Batman? Why are there parademons, moreover why is my caller ID glitched?"

Batman landed on a parademon that was just bit off the head of a police officer.

"Call off your people, Jim. They're out-matched. Mathews is already KIA." Batman grabbed another parademon by the throat and leg swept it. He then punched the mindless creature with enough force to embed half of it's head into the street.

"Damn it!" Jim shouted into the helmet. He heard him press his police radio, "All first responders! Pull back! Now! We're not equipped to deal with these assholes, Thank god we have someone who is."

"**_Metabolism beginning decline._**"

Batman kicked another paparademon in the face, incapacitating it instantly. The rest of the battalion directed their full attention to the overpowered attacker.

He knew these things were mindless, soulless organisms stripped of anything resembling remorse. He knew he didn't have to hold back.

Batman smirked, but the smirk faded when he looked down at the decapitated police officer being dragged behind a patrol car.

"YOU THINK YOU CAN COME TO _THIS_ PLANET, COME TO _MY_ CITY, AND YOU THINK YOU CAN HURT _MY _PEOPLE?! HUH?!" Batman shouted at the mindless mongrels as he charged them down.

"I'M GONNA FUCK YOU UP!!!"

Three parademons jumped at their angry attacker. Batman caught two of them with his clawed gloves by their throats and kicked a whole through the chest of the one in the middle. He then smashed the two heads together, causing them to explode like grapes. The sound it made amused him, but the sewage looking blood and brains on the helmet made his stomach turn.

"**_Metabolism at 60%. Initiate evasive maneuvers._**"

Batman ignored the suit's warning, losing himself in the carnage, ripping and tearing each one of Darkseid's zombie soldiers for over four hours.

"**_WARNING. WARNING. Metabolism at 30%._**" He finally heeded the suits flashing screen, punching another parademon through the head before flying twenty meters up.

"Batman to Justice League..." he started to feel light-headed, "I need *pant pant* support...to- *pant pant* too many. I need to let my body recharge."

"Superman here. We're all dealing with a larger battalion on the outskirts of Metropolis."

"Understood... I'll make do." Batman's breath finally slowed.

"Are you sure?" the Man Of Steel asked worriedly.

Batman watched as the parademons flew toward him.

"**_Metabolism increased to 92%._**"

"I'm sure. Batman out." he disconnected the line.

A parademon grabbed his mechanized ankle and threw him backc down to the street. He slowed his descent with the thrusters and , landing on his knees. He then activated the chest beam and blasted it at the descending creatures. Only twenty left.

Batman struggled to his feet when he saw four of the parademons get knocked off course.

The remaining eight pounced onto Batman. He grabbed one by the throat and threw it into two the others. He rocketed over the pile of creatures and blasted his chest beam, incinerating them. He again lost himself in another flurry of punches, kicks, slams, and blood.

"**_WARNING. WARNING_**..."

Batman's senses started to fade, dropping to the ground once more. He heard another approaching parademon. He turned to see a cord of some kind wrap around the parademon's neck. Whoever was operating the cord pulled the creature to the ground. The blurry figure then tried punching the parademon in the face, but it caused the figure to yelp.

It sounded female. Batman watched, the shadow pick up a sewer grate and smash the parademon's face with it, knocking it out.

She then shook her wrist and seethed.

She then walked up to Batman, swaying her body in a way that he finally recognized.

"Hey slugger."

"Selina," Batman spoke in a robotic voice, "What are you...?"

"I'm saving your ass. You're welcome, by the way. Now I'm gonna have to ice my wittle paw!" she playfully kicked the suit's shin plate.


	6. Family

Batwoman, Red Robin, Red Hood, and Spoiler landed to Batman's right. They all stared at Catwoman. She ignored them.

"So are you gonna come out of your mech, or what?"

Batman stood up silently and activated the front hatch with a thought. The hatch hissed, then opened. He stepped out of the suit, and stumbled, still feeling the effects of the neural link and his faded metabolism.

Catwoman lunged forward and caught him, causing Batwoman to take a step forward, still not trusting the allegedly reforming thief.

"Are you alright?" Catwoman asked him sweetly.

Batwoman smirked. She'd always heard stories of these two having a weird 'sometimes-they-fight-sometimes-they-kissed' relationship. She looked at Red Robin. He was smirking too. She knew she couldn't see Red Hood and Spoiler's expressions past their masks, so she looked back at the couple.

Batman was leaning on Catwoman, his arm over her shoulders. He looked pale and disoriented.

"So... are you two... actually...?" Kate asked her cousin. She didn't want to be too forward. She knew how Bruce could react to a question like that.

Selina wasn't sure what he was going to say. She knew how proud Batman could be, but she also knew how much he loved his family.

How much he loved _her_.

Batman looked at Catwoman, then back at his family.

"Meow." he told them flatly.

Batman was smirking.

Catwoman was trying not to laugh.

What followed was a full minute of agonizing silence between the family.

Finally, Red Hood spoke through his large, red helmet.

"'Bout fuckin' time," Red Hood jerked his jacket forward , "you let her know who you are yet?"

Batman glared, but still felt too drained to scold him.

Catwoman finally spoke.

"Yeah, he showed me his hunky mug, then we went back to my place and we-"

"NOPENOPENOPE I'M NOT LISTENING! LALALALALALA!" Red Hood abruptly pulled out his grapnel and fired it upwards, pulling him up and over the building behind them.

Catwoman looked at Batman. He wasn't amused.

"Well I'm happy for you two," Red Robin finally spoke, he then turned to Catwoman, "name's Tim, by the way."

Catwoman smiled, "Selina."

Tim pulled out his grapnel and shot at the same building Red Hood used in his immature escape, then pulled himself up and over.

Spoiler was still frozen, attempting to process _Batman having a girlfriend_.

"Uh... you okay, kid?" Catwoman asked the short, hooded vigilante.

"I'm sorry this is just... weird...I mean... you're his _girlfriend_?!"

The thought made Selina smile. The thought of having someone she could be honest with, to wake up every morning with her head on his shoulder.

She had a boyfriend. That sounded so strange, scary, and...

Wonderful.

"Yeah it still sounds weird to me, too."

Steph chuckled.

"Kk... well... I guess see ya?"

"See ya."

Spoiler grapnelled up.

Batwoman had her arms crossed. She sighed, uncrossed them, and stepped toward her.

"Listen, I still don't know if I actually trust you, but I trust him..." she cocked her head toward Batman, "and if he trusts you... then I guess I'll just have to deal with that."

Batwoman pulled out her grapnel gun and turned her back to them. She hesitated then to them.

"Just take care of him."

She fired her grapnel gun and followed the rest of the family.

"They seemed nice." she told him.

"They are. Can we go back to your place? My house is kinda far and..."

"Okay, hon. If we get onto that building there," she pointed at a taller building next to the one his family used to disappear, "We could glide there. You up to it?"

Batman slowly took his arm off of Catwoman, slowly applying his weight back under himself.

"I'm fine."

He could barely stand.


	7. Vulnerable

Catwoman pulled Batman onto the building she suggested.

She walked to the edge and spotted her penthouse.

"Are you sure you can do this? you look like you're about to keel over."

"I'll have to do dive in order to get enough velocity." Batman smirked at her weakly, remembering the last time he glided with her on his back. When they landed on her balcony, she was so high on adrenaline, she munched his face and groped him.

"Okay."

Batman walked to the edge. Catwoman stood on her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Ready?"

Batman was not ready.

"Ready."

He dove off the edge, waited four seconds, then extended the cape. His arms felt like he'd deadlifted a thousand pounds a minute before when steering. He thought he should think about something that makes him strong.

His will?

His family?

...Her?

He steered down toward the balcony.

"Bruce? Bruce slow down!" he heard Selina shout as his senses blurred again. He raised his arms to slow down, but it was too late. He crashed into her balcony, sliding across, and hitting the sliding door. He had horrible vertigo and couldn't get his arms to move. He didn't think the effects of the Hellbat suit would last this long. He hadn't realized he wore it for over six hours.

Selina got up from the crash, pulled back her mask, and ran up to Batman.

"Bruce!" Selina pawed at him, forgetting she had a sprained wrist.

"Selina.." he gasped "can't...m-move..."

Selina quickly unlocked the door, slided it open and grabbed two fistfuls of his cape. She started to lose feeling in her right wrist.

She dragged Batman to the middle of the living room and pushed the coffeee table out of her way with her boot.

"Bruce?! BRUCE!!!" she kept shaking his shoulders. He turned his head to her and groaned. She pressed the button in his collar and pulled off the mask and cape. His color had only just started to come back.

"I just... need... a minute." Bruce struggled.

"Okay, baby..." she started to tear up, but not wanting to show weakness, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "let's get you on the couch."

She unhooked his gauntlets and belt, pulled them off, threw them at the coffee table, then put his arm around her shoulder, and pulled him off the floor. She manhandled his beefy frame onto the couch, then ran to her bedroom, retrieved a pillow from her bed, ran back out to the living room, and slipped it under his head. She knelt next to him.

Bruce turned his head to her and opened his eyes.

"Selina?"

"Yes, honey?"

Selina grabbed his hand.

He slipped his hand from under hers and gently ran his index and middle finger up her hand and down to her wrist, feeling around through her glove.

"You should ice this. It... feels sprained." he thought turning on the old Wayne charm would maybe help.

"You drained yourself almost completely fighting off those...alien things, for hours until help came, and you're worried about my hand?"

"Yeah," Bruce smiled, still caressing her hand, "go get some ice for your paw and sit with me."

Selina kissed his forehead, stood up, and walked toward the fridge.

Bruce laid his head back and looked at the ceiling. He thought about how much of an ass he could be. He should've used the Batmobile, or maybe he should've just had enough fucking forethought to tell her that he felt like shit. She hurt her hand trying to punch out a superpowered attacker, met some of the family, invited him over so he could rest, then he had the nads to almost get her killed.

He hated himself so much.

Selina returned with an ice pack under her right arm and a glass of orange juice in the other. Bruce already felt like he'd treated her like shit and the kind gesture didn't help.

"You didn't have to-"

"Shush," she thrusted the beverage at him "this'll make you feel better."

Bruce sat up slightly, still feeling weakness in his muscles, and carefully grabbed the drink. He took a sip, feeling the cold drink wash through his mouth and down his throat. He already started to feel a better.

Selina set the ice pack on Bruce's chestplate. She slipped the pillow out from under Bruce's head and sat down where the pillow was. Bruce laid his head against her lap, feeling the purple leather creasing under the weight of his head.

She took off her gloves and rested her hand on the ice pack that sat on that famous yellow oval. She used her other hand to run her finger tips through his hair, massaging his scalp.

Bruce took another sip of the glass and set it down on the floor. He closed his eyes, focusing on those soothing hands massaging his head.

"How are you feeling?"

"Much better."

He touched his fingers to hers on his chest.

"Listen...kitten... I'm sorry ."

He opened his eyes and looked up into those mesmerizing pools of green. She continued rubbing his head.

Selina raised an eyebrow.

"For what?"

Bruce clenched his jaw and swallowed.

"For you having to deal with me."

He closed his eyes again, he furrowed his brow.

Selina knew how self righteous Batman is. He has to be. He couldn't be the montrous, unstoppable force of justice he is if he wasn't, but she'd come to find that Batman's self righteousness could drive Bruce Wayne mad with guilt, even for things that were so impossibly out of his control.

"You're sorry about my hand?"

"And throttling you into you into your own home at mach one, that as well."

Selina laughed.

"It was exciting... and you know how I like... _excitement."_

Bruce opened his eyes. She was giving him the naughty grin. She'd used that smile to get under his skin, she'd used it to escape from him. She'd now use it to comfort him.

He touched her sprained hand again gently.

"I love you, Kitten. Wanna sleep here?"

"Okay, can you get up so I can pull the couch out?"

"Yeah. I'm feeling a lot better."

Bruce sat up. He felt better, but he was tired. He grabbed the cup he set on the floor and finished the glass. He then slowly got up and set it down on the coffee table. Selina threw the pillow back on the couch and pushed a lever on the side, and pulled it out into a make shift bed. She pulled out a folded blanket stowed under it and spread it across the bed. Selina pulled off her boots.

Bruce pulled off his top and pushed down his leggings. Now down to his underwear, he threw the armor into the pile of of gauntlets and cape. He turned to see Selina looking down, hearing the zipper unzipping. He walked up behind her, and pressed his chest against her back, his hands on her elbows.

Selina paused and bit her lower lip.

Bruce kissed her cheek. He then got into bed, lying his head on the pillow. Selina pulled down the costume, kicked it off and layed herself down next to Bruce.

She scooched up onto him, putting her head on his chest and a hand on his abdomen. She started fingering a patch of skin tissue that felt leathery.

He put his hand on her head and twiddled with her hair.

"What was that thing anyway?" Selina asked.

"What thing?"

"The suit... it was killing you wasn't it?"

Bruce sighed.

"It's called 'Hellbat'. It was forged by the League so I could effectively combat superhuman threats."

"Okay, but..."

"Yeah, it can if I'm not careful. It converts my metabolism into solar energy-"

"Then you weren't careful... I... I _need_ you to be more careful. I know that what you do is dangerous... it's...it's just..." she pressed herself against him.

Bruce stroked her head.

"I'll never stop, you know."

Selina took a deep breath.

"I know pumpkin. It's who you are. You're Batman because you _are _Batman. It's why this works."

"Selina," Bruce's bass-y voice began to tremble "I... I love you."

Selina closed her eyes and took another deep breath.

"I love you too."

Bruce drifted off to sleep.

Selina's gears were still turning.

The flurry of involuntary introspection in her head ironically started to blend together into a soothing white noise in her head.

She finally relaxed her neck and head, eventually falling asleep.


	8. Inconvenience

Selina's senses started to kick back into gear. She heard a growly voice coming from her balcony.

"There were too many, I had to retreat... yeah a whole battalion, took me hours to even make a dent... Batwoman and the others handled the rest so I could retreat... I didn't have a choice, I spent too long in the suit... don't worry about me Clark, do we have a total death toll?... at least that's lower than I thought...yeah, I saw...maybe, but I know you would've reacted the same way... because I've seen it...yeah he was...*sigh* yeah I can, I'll see you there."

Selina rubbed her eyes and opened them, her head was on a pillow instead of Bruce's chest. Her hand was on the ice pack from last night.

Bruce walked back inside. He was wearing a brown dress shirt, his custom watch with all the hidden gizmos in it, a pair of sports shoes, and a pair of slacks. He opened his mouth to say 'good morning, Kitten', but he lost his train of thought when Selina started stretching her body. Her head was turned away from him.

Bruce walked up to the bed. Selina turned her head to him.

"Mmmm... mornin'", she purred, "how long have you been up? What time is it?"

"About three hours," Bruce looked at his watch, "it's quarter to eleven."

Selina raised her eyebrows.

"Wow I really slept in. Why didn't you wake me?"

Bruce's cheek twitched into a grin.

"Because you make these weird purring-snoring sounds in your sleep and I think it's cute."

Selina glared at him for a few seconds, then snatched the pillow with her good hand and threw it at him like she would her bolas. Bruce didn't even flinch as the pillow harmlessly bounced off of his chiseled chest.

"Don't call me cute." she ordered with Catwoman's ferocity.

Bruce chuckled.

"What's wrong with being cute?"

Selina grabbed the ice pack and threw that at him as well. Bruce caught it effortlessly.

"Why the violence?" Bruce asked amusingly.

He tossed the ice pack back on the bed. Selina was glaring.

"Anyway, I have to go to the Hall of Justice."

Selina gave him the naughty grin.

"Aaawww! You're going to go see your super friends in your super clubhouse!"

Bruce's amused smile disappeared. He then bent over, picked up the pillow, then chucked it at Selina, smacking her in the face. Selina blew a strand of hair out of her eye, causing Bruce to chuckle.

Selina readjusted her bra and threw the blanket off.

"I'm gonna take a shower, wanna join me?" she asked him while getting up.

"No, I already had one. I'll be heading out."

Bruce looked at his watch again and grabbed his blazer. Selina walked up to him, placed a hand on his chest, and slowly kissed his lips. She then looked up into his icy blue eyes.

"Wanna do anything when you get back?" she purred.

"Lunch at my place?"

"Sounds good. Love ya."

"Love you too."

Bruce kissed her forehead and started toward the door. Selina started to unfasten her bra as she walked toward her bathroom.


	9. They Can Handle This

Sitting at a large, silver table sat seven of the world's greatest superheroes: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter.

Adjacent to the table was a holographic display of the locations of each boom tube opening, two in Metropolis, one in Gotham, and one in Star City.

"I've this kind of display of force before", Superman began, "Steppenwulf did something similar a few years back before Darkseid first arrived."

"And I we thought we kicked his ass hard enough make him want to stay away from Earth." Green Lantern added.

"Apparently not", Manhunter monotonously replied "perhaps we should approach the matter diplomatically. If Darkseid is unaware of the matter, his cooperation could be a possibility."

"No it's not," Superman retorted sternly, "Darkseid doesn't negotiate. He conquers."

Superman didn't actually hate many things, he's always trying to find the good in everything and everyone, but whenever Darkseid is brought up in discussion, it gets harder and harder to tell the difference between him and Batman.

"Maybe a show of force of our own could convince Steppenwulf, and maybe even Darkseid, that Earth is off limits... for good." Wonder Woman proposed proudly.

"What kind of show of force?" Aquaman asked.

"A one on one duel on neutral ground. He's no match for me!" Wonder Woman announced, again with ample pride.

"That sounds like an easy way to walk into a trap, Diana." The Flash informed her hesitantly.

"Yes, but wouldn't Darkseid see that as cowardice on the part of Steppenwulf?" Wonder Woman said.

Everybody collectively realized that Batman hadn't said a single word. He's usually the strong silent type, yes, but whenever the League strategized, he was always quick to tell them how dumb their plan was.

"Anything to add, Bruce?" Superman asked his friend.

"What?" the Dark Knight responded, seeming to snap back into reality.

Batman had a lot on his mind, his love for Selina, that police officer that died in the attack and how Comissioner Gordon was handling it, how it made his stomach turn that he liked the sound it made when he ripped apart a parademon...

"Sorry... things have been... busy."

"Are you alright?" Manhunter asked.

Batman cleared his throat and readjusted his right gauntlet. The Flash recognized that particular quirk of his as one he enacted when he felt vulnerable, but he'd never point it out, not out of fear, but because Barry had a lot of respect for Bruce as a fellow detective, but he was also proud if him for calling the people he protects his home with his 'family' the same way Barry called his wife Iris and her cousin, Wally, family.

"Don't worry about me," Batman turned his head to Wonder Woman, "your plan to humiliate Steppenwulf could work, but he shouldn't fight you."

Wonder Woman raised an eyebrow.

"Why not me? I'd beat him in under a minute!"

"You're from a tribe of immortal warriors that were believed to be legend for centuries. I'm saying, if you insist this is your preferred course of action, it should be a mortal; someone who's fallible, but powerful enough to beat him"

"Like you?"

"No, I won't be able to. Recent developments in Gotham require my full attention."

He convinced himself that be was referring to the spike in murders reported across Miagani Island. In reality, he was thinking of that wonderfully mysterious creature in purple leather.

"Then who do you have in mind?" Wonder Woman asked, humoring the World's Greatest Detective.

"Captain Marvel."

"Oh, Billy's gonna love this." Arthur commented amusingly.

"Hhmh." Batman chuckled.

The Justice League, aside from Martian Manhunter stared at him.

"Did... did you just... laugh?" Superman asked.

Batman stood up and pulled his cape around his arms.

"No. Give him a call. I'm leaving."

Batman pushed in his chair, and walked toward the large hallway behind him.

He started to feel slighty light headed

"You seem highly distracted. That is very unlike you. I am deeply concerned, Bruce."J'onnzz' soft monotone thundered against his skull.

"Everything's fine, J'onn." Bruce thought, approaching the large entrance to the building.

"So it is. You've began giving off unusually positive telepathic vibrations. I congratulate you on discovering whatever it is that has affected you in such a way."

Batman opened the door and walked out to the parking lot.

"I um... thanks J'onn. Keep it to yourself though for now, alright? Things aren't set in quite stone, yet... I mean... I know what I want...but... it's just personal..."

He walked up to the Batmobile and pressed a button on his gauntlet, unlocking the driver's side hatch.

"I understand. Enjoy the rest of your day, my friend."

Batman got into the car and closed the hatch.

"Likewise... now get out of my head before I start flashing mental images that'll leave you brain dead."

Batman heard him chuckle, then the numbing sensation in the back if his head abruptly stopped.

Batman pushed a button on the dashboard and pulled Bruce Wayne's phone out of a compartment. He pressed and held the power button. While waiting for it to power on, he tapped the screen in the middle of the bat-shaped steering wheel. He looked out the window and saw a teenage boy pointing his camera phone at the idling Batmobile. It made him appreciate the early years when 'The Bat-Man' was just an urban myth that hunted down drug dealers. He remembered when he wore that costume with the black and grey color scheme with that simplistic bat silhouette on the chest, with those short purple gloves.

He felt his hand vibrate, the phone was finally on. He then turned the wheel counter-clockwise and stepped on the gas. The Batmobile sped past the picture-taking pedestrian and down the street.

"Batmobile command. Autopilot. Ryker Heights. 40th Street."

The steering wheel beeped. He let go of the wheel and held up the phone. He pressed the power key, entered his password and opened the messaging app. He began typing.

-I'm picking you up. Put on the suit.

A little bubble appeared with three wiggling dots.

-It's only 4:25. The cat comes out at night.

Batman typed his reply as the Batmobile exited the limits of Metropolis. He typed out his reply and hesitated. After a minute of yelling at himself in his head, he pressed send.

-I'm bringing you to the cave.

The dots popped up again.

-I heard there was a dinosaur and giant penny. If they're not there, I'm stealing your car.

-I'll be there in about a half hour.

Wait, which car?


	10. Safe

The Batmobile sped over Perdition Bridge, dodging the odd commuter or biker.

Batman continued to message Selina using Bruce Wayne's phone.

-Meet me in the alley behind Baudelaire's Boutique.

-Already a block away. ;)

Bruce began wondering how in the hell she guessed where to meet. He'd forgotten how cunning Catwoman could be.

"Batmobile command. Auto-pilot off."

Batman grabbed the steering wheel as the auto-pilot symbol inverted the colors.

He drove through Ryker Heights and into the Diamond District. He eventually found the aforementioned flower shop and pulled into the alley behind.

He picked up his phone back up. He began typing out "where are you?" before hearing a soft *thunk* on the roof. He pressed a button above him, unlocking the roof hatch on the passenger side.

Suddenly, the hatch directly above him opened.

Before he could even react to the abrupt blur of purple and black, he felt a fleshy mass on his lap and chest, a hand on his throat pushing his head back, and something moist on his lips and in his mouth.

Catwoman finally pulled away. She gave him a villainous smile.

Taking her hand off his throat, she gently wrapped her arms around his neck.

"How did you..." Batman began, before stopping when Catwoman's eyebrow raised.

"You need to fire your mechanic. I could've unlocked that in my sleep."

Batman smirked. She reminded him of the purring snores she makes when she's asleep.

She glared at him, eventually picking up on what caused that smirk. She snarled at him, lunged at his masked face, and bit the pointed nose piece of the cowl.

"Um...ouch?"

"You're an ass."

"Yeah... but I try."

She gave him the naughty grin.

"Let's do it in here."

"No. Not in the car."

She put her lips to his ear and purred.

Catwoman always did this kind of this to torment him or to entice him back when she was a criminal. It didn't work then, and he only let it work because he knew he actually could indulge.

He grabbed her by her sides and pushed her into the passenger seat. He then grabbed the steering wheel with one hand and the gear shift in another. Catwoman leaned back in the seat and crossed her legs.

He stepped on the gas and drove out of the alley.

"So what's the deal with the invasion from last night? Is the world ending or what?"

"No. Captain Marvel is gonna handle it."

"Okay."

Batman looked at her, then back at the road.

"Why did you put yourself at risk?"

"I thought we talked about this." she replied, rolling her eyes.

"I know but... just tell me why."

She took a deep breath.

"They pissed in my litterbox and tried to tear up my favorite toy. I had to do _something_."

"I just... I don't want you to-"

"No. Bruce, I wouldn't ask you to not go after, for example, the Joker because of how dangerous _he_ is!"

Batman drove the car in silence.

"Just 'be careful', kitten." Batman replied in Bruce's normal octave.

Selina leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Okay. I love you, Bruce."

"I love you, too."


	11. Monument

The Batmobile rumbled down the grassy outskirts of Gotham City. Batman drove 'the car' down to a wall of rocks and parked.

"Uh...?" Catwoman began.

Batman turned to her and smirked.

He stomped on the gas, the car thundered forward toward the rock wall.

"WHAT ARE YOU-!?" Catwoman shouted.

The Batmobile passed harmlessly through the rock wall, a large hallway materialized behind it.

Catwoman punched his shoulder. He felt the knuckle pads on her gloves embed into his shoulder slightly, the impact being softened by the suit.

"I see your hand feels better."

"Not fucking funny." she growled.

"It's a hologram."

"Oh joy."

The car thundered down the large hall and onto a beam with railings. It slowed onto a platform then stopped. The platform the spun the vehicle a hundred, eighty degrees, and stopped.

Batman opened the driver's hatch, and got out. He walked around the front of the vehicle, past the ram on the front, and approached the passenger side.

He pressed a button on his gauntlet.

Batman held out his hand.

"Mmm. Such a gentleman." Catwoman purred as she put ger hand in his, disembarking the ostentatious, vehicle.

"No..but I try."

"You keep saying..." Catwoman stopped and looked around, "Wow. Nice bachelor pad."

"It's not a bachelor pad." Bruce told her while pulling back his mask.

She let go of his hand, pulled back her own cowl, pulled out her hair, and grabbed Bruce's gloved hand.

Bruce guided her to the computer so she could see the whole lair.

"Don't tell me. You call it the 'Bat- Computer'"

Bruce glared at her.

Selina turned around and looked around again. She put a finger and thumb on her chin.

"Looks like you can keep your car."

Bruce chuckled.

"You still haven't told me which car. I own several."

"Why is he furry?" Selina asked, ignoring Bruce's inquiry, pointing a clawed digit at the dinosaur display.

There stood a twenty foot tall, fourty foot long, fully restored tyrannosaurus rex. It sported this strange, brown and white hair across it's entire body. The mouth was slightly agape, showcasing it's banana-sized teeth.

"Six years ago, Joker stole a fully authentic restoration from the paleontology exhibit at the Gotham Museum. I still don't know how he did it. Either way, he hollowed it out and replaced the insides with a robot endoskeleton."

"Mmm-hmmm?"

"He tried making it fight me."

"Mmm-hmmm?"

"The robot lost. I tried returning it to the museum, but they insisted I kept it."

"I take it they didn't expect you to say yes."

"Nope."

"Okay, but why is he furry? I'm more of an archeology girl myself, but aren't they lizards? 'Dinosaur' means 'terrible lizard'."

"When they were first discovered, yes, but over time, these kinds if things change."

"Skin impressions?"

"Yeah."

"Interesting...so what about the penny? Harv?"

"Yeah. He managed to capture me and strap me to it."

"He tried flipped it, didn't he?" Selina chuckled.

"Yeah."

"So who let you keep it?"

"Gordon."

Selina directed her attention toward a showcase. It had a golden sign over it with the phrase ' Rogues Gallery'

"Oooh. Kitty's curious." she purred, walking to a railing and descending a short staircase. Bruce followed.

The first one had a mannequin in it wearing a purple suit with a green suit vest and yellow dress shirt, purple suit pants, and black smart shoes. Below it was the metal label 'The Joker'.

Selina took a step to the next one.

The next one had another mannequin this one sported a green bowler hat with a purple band, a purple domino mask, a dark green suit jacket with a black dress shirt and grey tie, matching green suit pants, and purple dress shoes. Sticking out of the floor was a purple cane shaped like a long question mark.

She spotted the one next to The Riddler's nameplate that read 'Catwoman'

She walked over to it.

She gasped

The mannequin inside had a more feminine physique. than the others. It had a purple cowl with black hair coming out the back, a purple dress with exposed cleavage and a green collar, a green cape, short black boots with heels, and purple gloves with pink claws.

"That was..."

"When you robbed the boat."

She turned to him and gave him a warm smile.

"...when we first met."

She reached her hand out to him. Bruce grabbed it and stood next to her.

"It was so impractical," Selina began, "I constantly got cuts on my legs... the ends of the skirt kept getting grabbed by my opponents...ugh and the cape. Hiss."

"I resent that." Bruce teased.

She turned her head to him.

"Oh bite me."

Bruce glared, then lunged at her ear.

"Not literally!" she laughed.

She shoved him off.

Bruce smirked at her.

She looked at the mannequin, then back at him.

Bruce's smirk disappeared. He readjusted his right gauntlet.

"Bruce...I.. you showing me all this... it's not just a 'secret lair', is it?"

Bruce looked at his boots.

"I... I try to tell myself it is."

She walked up to him and hugged him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"You're sweet."

He put a hand on her head and another on her back.

"No, but I-"

They both heard a cough.


	12. The House

Bruce pulled away from the hug.

"Hi Alfred."

"Hello, sir. Ms. Kyle." Alfred bowed slightly.

"Hi Alfred."

"I've begun preparations for tonight's banquet. Shall I set an extra plate?"

"That would be lovely."

"Very good Madam. Would you prefer a change of attire?"

Selina jerked her head back, then raised an eyebrow at Bruce.

"My apologies Ms. Kyle, I didn't intend to-"

"No it's fine, that'd be nice, thank you."

Alfred smiled, and marched toward a large staircase in the back of the cave.

Bruce gave her a puzzled look.

"So what, you sleep with so many models, you have a back log of forgotten clothes?"

"Selina!"

"HAHAHAHA!" Selina cackled, "So why do you have girlie clothing then?"

"I don't know! Ask Alfred!"

"He told me he keeps them just in case." a voice answered from above them.

Robin was perched on a railing above them.

"How long have you been there?" Selina asked.

Robin glared at her, then looked at Bruce.

"What are you doing? She's a supervillain."

"Um, excuse me, I'm right here!" Selina addressed the Boy Wonder.

Damian expected a stern 'Stand down, Robin!' from his father.

"Sorry," Bruce told him calmy "I should have told you. I didn't think you cared about this kind of thing."

"I take it you're Damian." Selina told him coyly.

Robin lept from his perch and landed behind them. Bruce and Selina turned to him. Damian glared at both of them and groaned. He then pulled down his hood, grabbed the front and back of the domino mask with white lenses that wrapped around his head, and lifted it off.

Selina looked into the ten year old's eyes and smiled at that familiar icy blue.

"Why are you looking at me that way?" Damian asked her suspiciously.

"Oh... sorry it's just that... you have his eyes. I just think that's cute."

Bruce raised his eyebrows, widened his eyes, and jerked his head at Selina.

"I said I think the sounds you make when you're asleep are cute and you threw items at me!"

Selina raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, there a problem with that?"

Bruce looked at her and squinted menacingly.

"You're impossible!"

Damian rolled his eyes.

"You're change of clothes, Ms. Kyle." Alfred interjected.

Selina beamed at him. Alfred materialized on top of the stairs to the Rogue's Gallery showcase. It reminded her of how Batman would do the same.

Selina walked past Bruce and ascended the set of eight steps, and looked at the clothes. There was a pair of sports shoes on top, a sweater under them, and a pair of jeans under those.

Selina raised an eyebrow at Alfred.

"Hang on, how do you know my sizes?" she asked as she inspected the clothing.

"I am told I am rather adept at my job, madam. Knowing exactly what to bring and what not to bring when requested is in the description."

"But that still doesn't answer my... oh nevermind. Is there anywhere I can change?"

Meanwhile:

"Why would you reveal your secret identity to her, father?" Damian interrogated Bruce.

"Isn't it obvious?"

"Yeah. She's manipulating you. Again. She isn't to be trusted."

"Damian, Batman has known Catwoman for a long time."

"I'm aware, I'm also aware that she is a wanted thief."

"She hasn't stolen anything since we started dating."

"Hmm. Interesting."

Damian grabbed his chin. Bruce raised an eyebrow.

"What?" Bruce finally asked.

"I've begun work on a theory."

"Just be nice. Things have been going well, Damian, and I-"

"Sorry to interrupt," Selina returned, holding her change of clothes, "but do you have anywhere in here I can change?"

Bruce smiled at her.

"Yeah, the costume vault. I can show you. I need to get changed too."

"MRRrOooWww."

"Okay that's it, I'm leaving!" Damian put his mask back on and started towards the stairs.

"You're not gonna eat?" Selina asked him.

"I'll get drive-thru."

Robin walked up the stairs and toward his bike. He mounted it, kicked the stand, and sped out of the cave.

"He seems..." she began.

"Like my son?" Bruce asked embarrassingly, staring at his boots.

He adjusted his gauntlet.

Selina looked at him. She couldn't find it in herself to prod at him when he looked so genuinely frustrated. She knew there are reasons why she was the way she was, and why he was the way he was.

She walked up to him and nudged him with her elbow, still carrying her change of clothes.

"C'mon, show me where we can get changed. I'm hungry."

Bruce looked back up at her, his expression gradually lighting back up.

"Okay." he told her.

He walked up the stairs, Selina following him, took a left, and walked up to a door. He opened it and made an 'after you' gesture to Selina. She raised an eyebrow at him, and entered the room. It had first aid kits, a stretcher, and other necessities for patching up an obssessive crime fighter. In the back were a display of several suits she recognized that belonged to Nightwing, Robin, and Batgirl. She stood there gawking at the suits.

Bruce sat down on the bench and began disassembling his suit, pulling off the cape and cowl before looking at her just standing there.

"Wait," Bruce said to her right after taking off the armored shirt, "why didn't Alfred tell you where to get changed?"

She snapped out of her trance and turned to him.

"He said that I should ask you."

"Um...why?" Bruce asked, pulling off the leggings and reaching for a change of clothes stashed under the bench.

"He said he thought you should do it." she told him at she sat down with the clothes. She started unfastening her forearm and shin guards.

"Sounds like him." he told her as he began slipping on a pair of jeans.

Selina pulled off the gloves and boots, then unzipped her costume. Bruce stopped as he was tieing his shoes and started watching her get dressed.

He watched her pull down the suit and bend over to slip on the jeans.

"Enjoying the show?" she told him slyly as she put on the sweatshirt.

"Oh...um...sorry." he stampered as he pulled on a grey t-shirt.

She turned to him, walked swayed her body up to him and gave him the naughty grin.

"I don't mind." she purred.

Bruce completely lost his train of thought when he looked into her eyes.

He regained his composure and cleared his throat.

"Let's go upstairs."

"Meow."

"Stop."

"Stop what?" she asked coyly.

Bruce got up. and stood in front of her, staring down at her like she just stole another Egyptian Cat jewel. That bat-glare has scared many a thug, super villain, and even alien. That same look merely challenged Catwoman, much to his frustration. Now, that look only made Selina want to pounce him.

Selina felt her heart racing.

"W-we should go eat." Selina forced out, completely flustered by Bruce's posturing.

Bruce turned and started at the door.

Selina took a deep breath, regaining her composure, then followed him to a large staircase.

Bruce stopped at the top and pressed a button. The entrance shot open. He turned to Selina, nernervoisly. She stepped onto the step he was standing on and grabbed his hand.

"C'mon stud, show a girl your house!"

He turned back to the entrance and stepped through, with Selina's hand still in his.

"I told you!"

"Shut up, Jason!"

"Go fuck a duck!"


	13. Together

Bruce and Selina stood in the study holding hands, suprised by the ensemble of vigilantes in civilian clothes.

This ensemble included Kate, Dick, Stephanie, Tim, Jason, Cass, Barbara, and Duke.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Bruce growled angrily, letting go of Selina's hand.

"I was invited." Duke claimed nervously.

"I live here." Jason commented nonchalantly.

Bruce held a hand up before Kate could explain her presence.

"I'm glad you're all here." Bruce told them.

Cassandra walked up to Selina.

"You're... cat?"

Selina smiled at the girl.

"Yeah, what's your name?"

Cassandra smiled brightly back at her and pointed at her own chest.

"Cassie."

"A pleasure to meet you, Cassie. I'm Selina."

Cassandra looked at Bruce.

"Selina is nice. We Keep her." she told him matter-of-fact-ly.

Everybody laughed. Cassandra started snuck toward the dining room in the commotion.

Duke stepped forward held a hand out to Selina.

"It's nice to put an unmasked face to the legend, Ms. Kyle I'm Duke Thomas."

"RrOowl. Legend huh?"

She shook his hand.

"Yeah. The stories I've heard, are nothing short of impressive... and weird. I'm gonna go take my place at the table."

Duke smiled at her, left the room.

Selina looked at Dick.

"I take it you're Nightwing."

"What gave me away?" he asked coyly.

"You wear a domino mask. You could at least wear... I dunno, a wig."

"I used to have a mullet."

"Yeah, it was ugly as sin."

Dick chuckled.

"My feelings! I'm Dick," Dick gestured to Barbara, who was sitting in her wheelchair "this is Barbara. Say hi Babs."

"Hi Babs." Barbara chirped.

"Wait... you have the old Batgirl's hair." Selina pointed out.

"Well that's funny, because I _was_ the old Batgirl."

Selina cocked her head.

"Wait... Barbara Gordon? Oh honey, I know you must get this a lot, but I'm sorry about what Jack did to you."

"Jack?" Bruce added.

"Thank you," Barbara looked up at Dick "let's go take our seats- well your seat-"

Dick chuckled and pushed her out of the room.

Selina looked at Kate, matching her distinct short, red hair to Batwoman's long red hair.

Bruce raised his eyebrows at Kate.

"Uugh.. fine!" Kate finally conceded. "I'm Kate."

She took a step toward Selina. Selina looked at her, then back at Bruce.

"You two are related, aren't you?"

Kate gave her a look of armiration.

"You're a smart cookie. I see why he's always had the hots for you."

"Kate!" Bruce scolded her.

"But I imagine that's not the only reason." Kate told her, eyeing her body.

"KATE!" Bruce yelled at her.

Tim, Jason, and Stephanie were laughing hysterically. Bruce glared at them. They stopped.

Kate eyed the rest, then left the room.

Selina looked at them too.

"Hi again, Tim." Selina chirped.

"Hey." Tim left too.

"Spoiler alert!" Stephanie began, "I'm Steph, that's Jason, he's the black sheep." Stephanie quacked at Selina.

"And you're an annoying assaholic." Jason added. His arms were folded.

Stephanie nudged Jason and left.

Jason rolled his eyes.

"I'mJasonIwasRobinnowI'mRedHood okay! Welcome to the family! I'm gonna go eat." Jason told them quickly before rushing out.

Bruce started toward the the dining room, but stopped when he realized Selina wasn't following. He turned to her. She had her arms crossed, she was looking at the floor.


	14. Battered

Welcome to the family.

The words rang in Selina's head, triggering a whirlwind of emotions she's locked off over the years. She had a family once. Her mother was a dancer who died of cancer. Her mother's death sent her father spiraling into depression, eventually taking his own life. She has no idea what happened to her sister.

Selina used the wealth and skills she gained while travelling the world to take what she thought belonged to her. She didn't realize how those things filled that hole in her heart, and she was starting to realize why she hadn't stolen _anything_ for a _month_, and why she was clenching her fists so damn hard, and why she felt like her chest was going to explode-

"Kitten?" Bruce asked her softly.

She closed her eyes tightly. She kept telling herself not to show her pain, but then she remembered she wasn't being shot at or having a sword swung at her.

She was joining the man she loved and his wonderfully strange family for dinner.

"Selina?" Bruce walked up to her and grabbed her hand.

"Shut up." she growled.

"Selina...baby what's...?" Bruce asked her sweetly, putting his hands on her shoulders.

Selina took a deep breath and opened her eyes.

She unclenched her fists.

"Let's go eat, sweetie. We can talk about it later."

"Okay, whatever you want."

Bruce and Selina walked down the hall and into the dining room.

Selina sat down at one end of the table, while Bruce made his way past Tim and Cassandra to the other end.

Selina looked at the plate, it had chicken and slices of lobster with a glass of champagne on the side. She eyed the glass, snatched it, and drank the whole thing in one gulp.

"Wow, you an alcoholic or something?" Jason asked.

"No." she responded coldly.

Bruce looked at Selina. He could see the gears turning in her eyes.

"Bruce?" Selina called.

"Yeah?" he answered after finishing a bite of chicken.

"After this, there's something I _need_ to show you."

"Gross, dude." Stephanie chimed.

"Not like that, Stephanie, and bite me while I'm at it."

"What, you're gonna show him your diary?"

Selina bit her lip.

"Yeah. Hey Alfred, you mind giving me a refill?"

"Of course not, Ms. Kyle." Alfred told her happily.

He got up and went into the kitchen next to the dining room and came back with the bottle.

Alfred poured her glass and set the bottle in the middle of the table.

Selina eventually calmed her nerves and started to enjoyed herself. A lot of questions were asked about where she learned to fight and other such questions that later became a blur.


	15. Angry?

Bruce closed the door behind Duke, Selina was standing behind him.

Bruce took a deep breath and turned to Selina.

"Hey, so what did you want to show me?" Bruce asked.

Selina bit her lip. "I... I want to show my... well I guess my _own_ secret lair."

Bruce clenched his jaw. "I don't want to see all the things you've stolen over the years."

"I figured, but... there's a special meaning to these particular trinkets."

Bruce crossed his arms and stared.

"...Please? It would mean a lot to me!" Selina cooed, batting her lashes.

Bruce grabbed his forehead. He wanted to contemplate his course of action, yes, but the way Selina batted her lashes at him started to make him blush. He finally put down his hand and cleared his throat.

"Okay look, if it means that much to you fine, but it's gonna wait until after patrol." He told her after checking his watch.

Selina crossed her own arms. "Are you serious?"

"Yes. I'm Batman." Bruce pointed out.

Selina raised an eyebrow.

Bruce scowled, forgetting again that those kinds of intimation tactics only challenged her.

Selina gave him the naughty grin and took a step forward.

"Selina." he warned.

"What is it, pumpkin?" she purred in Catwoman's rough, sultry voice.

Bruce raised his eyebrows, thinking of a means of his escape from Catwoman's trap.

"Alfred!" he called.

Alfred poked his head from the dining room. "Yes, Master Bruce?"

"I'm heading out. Could you prepare my suit while a hop in the shower?"

"Of course, sir."

Bruce started toward the the stairs across the room.

"You're forgetting something." Selina chirped.

Bruce stopped, turned back, and walked back up to Selina. He then took her chin and kissed her.

"I love you, kitten."

"Oh just hurry up!"

Bruce walked back to the stairs, scaled them hurriedly, and took a right, out of Selina's view.

Selina looked to her left to see Alfred standing there, looking completely stunned.

Selina cocked her head at him. "Uh... you okay Alfred?"

"Fine, thank you... it's just that... I've _never_ seen him treat anyone like that, Miss."

Selina smirked. "What, he's never had a girlfriend before?"

"He has, but I believe no woman has frustrated him as you have, Ms. Kyle." Alfred told her smiling.

"Really? Rreeoowwl."

"Ahem, not what I meant," Alfred asserted, then continued again warmly, "I meant that... well from the very beginning you had his attention... perhaps even his affection. He always had faith, no matter how far you fell into the abyss, that deep down, you were a good person who was simply too angry at the world."

Selina looked at the floor. "...Maybe..." she pondered. Selina then looked back at Alfred. "Thanks Alfred."

"Any time."Alfred said proudly. He then bowed and started toward the study.

Selina turned to the door and paused, thinking about what Alfred said.

Angry at the world.

That doesn't sound like her. It definitely sounded like Bruce, but not her...

Right?


	16. Weakness

Angry?

The thought still haunted Catwoman as she jumped from a rooftop in Bristol, whipped onto a flag pole, and swung into a fire escape.

She knew why she steals: she was a poor orphaned girl who felt empty, so she took to thievery, the shiny jewels filling the void left by her vanished family.

She climbed the fire escape, scaling it to the roof. She paused, feeling the wind blowing her long hair.

Welcome to the family.

_Acceptance. Acceptance is dependence. You can't depend on anyone._

She started to run again, her gears still turning.

_The fuck is wrong with you? You know they're good people. You know Bat-...Bruce. You even want to show him the statues._

She jumped again, fell ten feet, and landed on the next roof. She again took off in a run.

_He showed you the cave. That wasn't easy for him. You saw the look on his face._

She ran to the edge of the roof, hopped on the edge, and perched.

_That face... those eyes... those shoulders...muscles... hoo-hah. Focus, girl! Why are you overthinking this?_

She scanned the street.

_You're overthinking this because you want this to go well... but things **have** been going well. Yeah things always go well...__Then you're on a boat to France at age 17 because the orphanage you were taken to lost funding._

Catwoman clenched her teeth.

_Things go well, people come into your life... then they go away because you can't tell them you're a fucking criminal._

She sat down, starting to feel her thighs cramping from the position she was in.

_But they know. Bruce knows. The Bat family knows, and they accept you anyway because they have faith in you. You need to have faith too._

"Leave me alone!"

She heard a panicked voice derail her train of thought. She spun around, got up, and ran to the other end of the building to the source of the commotion.

"Just give me the damn purse lady!"

Catwoman spotted a mugger pointing a gun at a woman.

_You need to have faith too._

She jumped down, landing silently behind the mugger. She then swept his leg and gave him precise twelve-to-six-o' clock elbow to the chin, knocking him unconscious. She then stood up straight to face the victim.

"Y-you're Catwoman!" the lady stammered.

"Yup. 'Hear me roar' and all that jazz." she chirped.

"Well... thank you, I guess."

Catwoman turned to leave, but then turned back. She then picked up the pistol and handed it to the woman. She looked at the gun, then back at Catwoman.

"No one deserves to be powerless like that. He doesn't have it registered. They never do." Catwoman told her.

"Um... okay."

Catwoman then jumped onto a fire escape, ascended the stairs, and climbed the ladder to the roof. She then pulled out her phone to check the time. It was almost three. She groaned softly and stowed away the device. She then turned to take off, but ran face first into a a circular piece of metal.

"Ow!" she exclaimed, grabbing her nose.

"Nice job." the source of the metal teased.


	17. Middle Finger

"You jackass!" Catwoman exclaimed, rubbing her nose.

"Is that a new pet name?" Batman retorted.

"Yeesh! What is that thing made of?" she replied, more amazed than frustrated.

Batman looked at the emblem on his chest and adjusted his gauntlet.

"It's made from a melted Smith Wesson Model 36 dipped in a titanium/steel alloy."

Catwoman stopped rubbing her nose, and cocked her head.

"You melted down a gun and put it in your... oh... I see.." she trailed off. She then touched his arm. "It's the one that was used..."

Batman clenched his jaw. "Yeah."

She touched a hand to the yellow oval, filled with the insignia of a bat.

"Wow... I guess that's..."

"Justice." Batman told her proudly.

"I was thinking more like a clever 'fuck you, eat a dick' to your enemies, but that's cool too." she teased, smiling warmly.

"Heh, well I guess that too."

"Damn right, 'that too.' So are you done with patrol?" she asked, starting to trace her finger around the symbol.

"No, but things have been relatively quiet... so.." he grabbed her hand, "I thought maybe if something came up the others could handle it."

Catwoman beamed at him.

"Really?"

"Yes. You're worth it."

She gasped softly.

"Oh jeez. Bruce!" she said, before grabbing him by the shoulders and hugging him. He hugged her back. He bowed his head.

"You have something to show me." he growled softly.

"Yeah, just..." she purred back, squiggling in his arms, "just gimme a sec."

"Okay."

Catwoman finally stopped squeezing the Dark Knight's ribs.

"You have the car parked nearby, sweet-talker?"

"No, I left it downtown." Batman said. He raised his gauntlet to press the retrieval, but Catwoman put her hand on it hastily.

"Wait... how about a glide?"

"You sure? I thought you'd want to steer clear of the gliding after last time."

"Oh, you mean when 'throttled me into my own home at mach one'?"

Batman sighed. "Yeah."

"I'm over it."

"I'm not. We got lucky."

"No, that was the night before."

"Selina!" he scolded.

"HAHAHA!" she cackled.

Batman groaned and pulled out his grapnel gun. "We're gonna need some height. I'm going to use the accelerator on this."

Catwoman eyed the gadget he was holding.

"That's gonna hurl us into the air, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"Was it twelve o'clock when you drew up the specs?"

"Funny." he growled. He aimed the gun at a building across the street. Catwoman grabbed on. He fired the grapnel, then pressed a button on the top of the grip. The line then pulled them to the building, gradually speeding up, then launching them over the building. Batman quickly grabbed reholstered the gun, then grabbed the ends of his cape and extended it, initiating the glide.

"Where to?"

"Little Italy."


	18. Kindred Spirits

Batman landed behind a small warehouse from the glide, once again Catwoman was riding piggyback, this time not overcome with an adrenaline rush.

"That was fun!" she squealed.

"Try not to chew my face off." Batman growled.

"Oh for Pete's sake!" she groaned, dismounting Batman. "Are you ever gonna let me live that down?"

He turned to her. "No."

"I lost control, damn you!" she shoved his shoulder playfully.

"I could tell." Batman mused.

"Ugh." she groaned, then pulled a key from a pouch on her boot. "Bat-pig."

She walked up to the door, put in the key, turned it, then opened the door. She then walked in, Batman followed.

Inside was a room with with a pair of bead curtains in the back. They pulled back their cowls, then Bruce followed her to the curtains. She pushed them to the side, grabbed Bruce's hand, and walked through. The room was filled with statues, jewels, and other assorted trinkets. Bruce snatched his hand away.

"This is obscene." he growled.

Selina sighed. "Look, if it makes you feel any better, a majority of this stuff was either stolen from mobsters, or pirates that robbed archealogical digs. Most of the things I've taken wind up being sold."

Bruce glared daggers at Selina.

"Okay, okay, I suck. I get it... but I needed you to see this one."

She walked over to a wooden cabinet, pulled back her mask, and grabbed the knobs. She reluctantly opened it. Bruce walked up to it as well, standing next to Selina.

On the shelf was what looked like half of a house with four small statues, all made of solid gold. Three of the statues were on one side, with the fourth on the other side.

Bruce looked at Selina. Her features were twitching with anguish. He looked back at the statues.

"I see... your family." he murmured.

Selina closed her eyes. "Yes."

"I..." he touched her arm tenderly, "I understand, Kitten."

She sighed. "I know you do, baby... but I also wanted you to see this."

She then opened a drawer and pulled out another statue. She then looked at Batman cautiously, then back at the statue.

Bruce gently took the statue from her.

"So this is why you steal. You miss your family. You project yourself onto the the diamonds. You weren't appreciated."

"No... I wasn't."

Bruce put the statue next to the one on the far right. "If that one is you, then this one is me."

"Bru-ce..." her voice broke.

"I'm not going anywhere, Kitten."

"...Promise?"

Bruce turned to her. "Promise." He pressed a button on his gauntlet. "Let's get back to my place."

Selina grabbed his head and kissed him. "You should show me the bedroom, lover." she purred.

Batman pulled his mask back on. "Perhaps."

He then grabbed her cowl behind her head, and pull it over her face. The gesture made her smile. They then heard the squeal of the Batmobile's tires.


	19. It's Always Something

Batman entered through the master bedroom window. Catwoman slinked in behind him and closed the window. She then put her hands on his cowl and kissed him as she pushed it back. She pulled back her own mask, still keeping the kiss.

Bruce took her chin with his thumb and index finger, and seperated the kiss. "Thank you for showing me those statues. That couldn't have been easy for you."

He let go of her chin and put his hands on her shoulders.

Selina furrowed her eyebrows. "No...it wasn't. It's sort of like a safe space for me. Like your cave."

"Yeah..." Bruce looked at the safe next to the bed, then back into Selina's eyes. She watched the gears turning in his eyes as the flickered back and forth.

"Kitten... you have your statues. I guess my equivalent would be my safe."

"Oh?"

Bruce let go of her, adjusted his gauntlet, and walked over to the safe. Selina followed. He grabbed the knob, turned it clockwise, then counterclockwise, then clockwise again. He then reluctantly grabbed the handle and opened it. He then stepped to the side. Selina took a step forward.

"Oh shit." she whispered.

"...Yeah." Bruce growled soflty.

Inside the safe was a golden watch with a brown stain on the face. Next to it was a pearl necklace, again with brown stains on it.

Bruce pressed the button on his collar and pulled off the cape and cowl. "I remember it so vividly. We were taking a short cut to the car, when a man with a gun came out of no where. Dad put his hand on my chest, pushing me behind him. The mugger told demanded the watch, his wallet, Mom's purse, and her pearls. Dad told him he could have whatever he wanted and handhanded him the wallet. When the mugger went to take it from him, Dad tried to punch him, but the mugger was too fast. He shot Dad in the chest then the head."

"Jesus..." Selina gasped.

"The blood spattered on Mom and I. She screamed. He got scared and shot her in the heart. The Wayne's died that night. Batman was born."

"You think you died too?" Selina asked, turning her head to him.

"The person I was... the person I was supposed to be..." he looked at the cowl.

"Wanna know what I think?" she asked.

"Of course."

"I think you were supposed to be a good man who was going to take care of Gotham. That man is still here.. and I'm in love with him."

Bruce closed the safe. "When?"

"When did I fall for you?"

"Yeah." he said, pulling her away from the safe and into his arms.

Selina embraced him. "I fell for Batman all the way back on the boat."

"Hmm. What about Bruce Wayne?"

Selina smiled. "He always gave me the impression he was lonely."

"He was." Bruce growled.

Selina looked up at him. "So when did Batman fall for Catwoman?"

Bruce took a deep breath. "I honestly don't know, Kitten... I mean yeah, I've always been attracted to you, but not.. in love... I mean, I am now.. but.. " Bruce tried.

"We wasted a lot of time." Selina said regretfully. "Maybe that's why we've been taking things so fast."

"We have?" Bruce asked suprisingly.

"Yeah... well we've had a lot of catching up, I guess."

Bruce walked over to the bed and set the cape and cowl down. He then turned on the lamp.

"Silk sheets. You're smooth." Selina purred in Bruce's ear. She then sat on the bed, unhooked the forearm guards, and slipped off the gloves. She then ran her bare hands over the blanket. Bruce was busy taking off his gloves and boots. Selina then grabbed his cowl.

"So how does this thing work anyway? How does it morph into shape?"

Bruce set the gauntlets and boots down and sat next to her.

"It's a smart material I invented."

"You didn't 'invent' this." Selina teased.

"I've trained my mind and body to their peak. I can invent whatever I want."

"Heh." she chuckled. "Well I.." she put the cape and cowl down. "invented thissss." she purred, kissing his lips.

Bruce held her hand and stroked her hair.

They then heard a vibrating sound. It came from the cowl.

Bruce growled.

"I didn't hear anything." Selina said.

"Pass the cowl."

"Ugh." Selina groaned, then handed him the mask.

Bruce grabbed it, reached in the mouth part, and pulled out a small ear piece.

"Deja vu." Selina teased.

"Shush." Bruce scolded, putting in the earpiece "This is Batman" he growled.

"Batman, this The Flash. You got a minute?"

Selina started biting his ear.

"No. Make it fast."

"Prrrr..." Selina rattled

"Uh... what was THAT?" Barry asked.

"I'll tell you about it later, Barry. Why'd you use the comm?"

"I've just intercepted an armed convoy in Central carrying crate labeled 'VNM-271'. That sound familiar?"

"Damn." Bruce growled.

Selina unbuckled his belt and started to take off her boots.

"Yeah, but why is he peddling this garbage in my city all of a sudden?" Barry asked, clearly annoyed.

"I don't know." he sighed, then watched Selina as she slipped off her boots. He eyed her calfs, then her thighs. Selina started kissing his neck again.

"I don't think I've ever heard you utter those words, Bruce."

"Whatever. I'll contact the rest. Batman out."

"Ok-" The Flash tried to reply, but Bruce had already pressed the button on the piece and put it on the night stand.

"Bruce?" she whispered.

"I need to text Barbara."

"Oh." she muttered, pulling away.

Bruce leaned forward, opened the drawer, and pulled out a phone. He pressed the on button.

"I'm going to have her mobilize everyone tomorrow night. Jason will want to do some recon ahead of time."

The phone turned on.

"Are you leaving?" Selina asked.

Bruce looked at her. "No, Kitten. Not this time."

Selina smiled and kissed his temple. "Good, 'cause I'm gonna need help getting out of this suit, and you're just so... gentle."

"Mmm." Bruce grunted happily. He unlocked the phone and pressed the app icon that had Oracle's symbol on it. He started to type.

**_O, follow up with The Flash._**

Three dots wiggled.

**_Just got word. BG and RH are willing to mobilize._**

Bruce felt the bed rumble. Selina crawled to the center of the bed.

**_No. I want you and the others to handle any potential shipments here. The Flash and I will handle Bane._**

**_The others won't like it._**

**_Neither would Barry if I told him we'd handle it. Central City is his turf._**

**_Understood. Out._**

Bruce locked the phone, put it back in the drawer, and closed it.

"Looks like I'm going to Central City tomorrow." Bruce said.

"Then we should make tonight last." Selina purred seductively.


	20. Assistance

"How should we.." Bruce turned to Selina "...oh."

Selina was laying on her back, her knees spread, her arms over her head. She was giving him the naughty grin.

"Kitten." he whispered. He then took turned, and crawled to her.

"Come here, hansome. Help me out of thisss ssuit."

Bruce positioned himself on top of her. "You want my help?" he whispered. he ran his hands up her arms, feeling her toned muscles through the leather. He made his way to her hands and intertwined their fingers. He then kissed her lips.

"Pleassse." Selina whispered.

Bruce let go of one of her hands. He ran his hand back down to the small zipper. He pulled it down to her lower abdomen, exposing her bra and muscular abdomen. He then grabbed her arms and put them to her sides, then grabbed her shoulders and sat her up. He grabbed the leather and pulled it down her shoulders, the pulled her arms out of the sleeves slowly. He then laid her back down. He grabbed the leather again and glided it down her thighs and calfs, then off her feet, laying the suit down on the bed.

"Ssso gentle." she whispered happily.

"Are you going to help me with my suit, now?"

"Meow." she said, sitting up and grabbing the end of the armored shirt. She then lifted it over his chest and shoulders, then pulled it all the way off, setting it on the catsuit. Selina then grabbed the pants and pulled those down his chiseled legs and off, putting them in the costume pile. She then loomed at him. Her eyes flickered over his boxers, then to his abdomen.

"My eyes are up here." Bruce said, parroting her line from the other day.

Selina didn't respond, she only got on all fours and crawled over his legs and waist like a hungry panther, her eyes focused on his body. She then lowered her head to his abdomen and began licking. She ran her tongue up to his chest. Bruce felt goosebumps forming up his whole body. She then kissed the marks on his chest, then again started to run her tongue across his skin, up to his neck. She then hovered over him, looking into his eyes.

"Mmmm... yummy. I could just eat you up." she purred.

Bruce furrowed his eyebrows gave a half smirk. "Hm. Speaking of eating..." he growled before turning her over on her back and wrapping his mouth around her neck...


	21. There's Always Time For Breakfast

Barry and Iris heard the door to his home in Central City make a _ding dong_ sound. He took the last bite of his toast. "I got it honey!" he chirped, using his super speed to answer the door in under a millisecond. Barry opened the door.

"Mornin' Bruce."

"Hello Barry." his guest replied, stepping throught the door.

Barry closed the door behind him.

"Where's the crate? Suspects?" Bruce growled.

"CCPD. Want breakfast?"

Bruce hadn't eaten before leaving the manor. He felt his stomach growl.

"I don't-" Bruce began, before seeing Barry dematerialized in a flurry of yellow lightning, then rematerialized, holding a plate with a piece of french toast in the middle.

"-think we have time." Bruce finished.

"Here." Barry said, handing Bruce the plate. Bruce took the plate and stared at the snack. "It has syrup in the middle." Barry said proudly.

Bruce then grabbed the toast and bit it.

"Not bad." he said after swallowing.

"Heh, glad to hear it."

Bruce finished the bread and handed him the plate. "Have you looked for a supplier?"

"Yeah, nothing."

Bruce's cellphone chimed. He pulled it out of his pocket and pressed the power key.

**Next time, we're wearing the masks.**

Bruce's lip twitched.

"Who's that?" Barry asked, raising an eyebrow.

Bruce looked back up at Barry "Later," he said, locking the phone and putting it back in his pocket, "We're gonna go down to the station and interrogate the drivers."

"Good cop, Bat cop." Barry joked.

"Yes." Bruce turned back to the door and opened it. "I need to get changed. Meet me there."

"Got it, I'll be there in a-" Barry said before Bruce closed the door, avoiding hearing his catchphrase.

Bruce pulled his phone back out and walked to his car. He wrote out a message.

**You need help. **

He reached his conspicuous brown sedan and opened the door. He sat down in it and closed the door. He put down the phone and turned the engine over. He put it in gear and drove towards a bridge to change.


	22. They Always Talk Eventually

"I don't know shit gran retardo rojo!" the sicario angrily told The Flash.

The Flash sat at a table in a dark interrogation room in the Central City Police Department, across from the lieutenant he apprehended hours earlier.

"Your boss isn't coming for you, ya know? I have pull here. I can gurantee leniency." Flash said.

"Leniency? So I shit in your yard and you wanna give me leniency?! Jefe was right. You yanks are too soft."

Flash chuckled. "Now that's not true. I'm a softy, sure," he said gesturing toward himself "but what about Batman? He's not a softy. He even beat Bane!"

"Si, and el jefe is gonna make a comeback. The bat ain't shit!"

Flash smirked.

"Are you sure about that?" an ominous growl emitted from the shadows behind the scarlet speedster.

The lieutenant's eyes widened, his body went stiff. He spotted two white glowing eyes materialize through the shadows.

The Batman slowly stepped out of the shadows and approached the table. The Flash felt goosebumps forming up his neck as the cloaked figure with glowing eyes glided to the table next to him like a ghost.

"One last chance, or you'll be breathing through a straw - what are you doing in Central City?" the dark blue, cloaked figure finally spoke.

The sicario looked at The Flash - he shook his head pitifully.

"I can't! El jefe will have my head!" he panicked.

"You'll be placed in protective custody-" the Flash began, but an arm from Batman shot out like a railgun and grabbed the sicario's shirt, then lifted him in the air. The Flash stood up and took a step back.

"I WON'T ASK AGAIN!!!" Batman boomed.

"I can't!!!"

Batman landed a hard, precise jab at his ribs. A small cracking sound echoed throughout the room.

"AAAHHH- *KAFF* *KAFF*" the thug shouted. The Flash winced. The thought about stopping this started to creep in.

"*Kaff!* he knew you'd come here instead of sending one of your sidekicks!"

He lowered the thug to eye level "I'm not worried." he growled, throwing the man back to his chair.

He was bluffing. He was scared shitless.

Batman turned to leave. "Flash, book him. I need to get back." He then pressed a finger to his cowl "Penny-One, send the Flying Fox to the roof of CCPD."

The last thing he wanted to hear. Static.

"Heh... heh hahaha- ow" the sicario chuckled.

"He didn't respond?" Flash asked.

"No." He he said angrily. He then turned to see the sicario smirking. He promptly pulled out a chloroform capsule and sprayed it in his face, knocking him out almost instantly. He then touched his mask again "Batman to Red Hood-"

"Screw this." Flash muttered, before grabbing Batman and taking off.


	23. Back In A Flash

Within ten seconds, Batman and The Flash were in the BatCave.

Batman ran to the BatComputer from the vehicle entrance. The main screen had a break in it. "Shit." he muttered, before looking down and seeing a note on the keyboard:

_Years ago, I broke the bat_

_ Tonight, I break the man._

"SHIT! ALFRED!" he shouted, running to the staircase to the study. The Flash followed. They ran up the stairs, Batman activated the door, and ran into the room. "ALFRED! STEPHANIE! JASON!" he shouted again.

"I say, why _are_ you yelling?"

Batman turned to the other doorway to his left. "You're okay?"

Alfred was standing in the doorway with a raised eyebrow.

"Indeed sir. Mr. Allen I hadn't expected-"

"There's been a security breach!" The Flash interrupted.

Alfred looked suprised. "I haven't received any alerts from the redundant security measures."

Batman's gears started turning. He was thinking about how that could have happened. He knew Bane knew who he was, it's how he crippled him, but why he was suddenly brazen enough to invade his home again was...

"Alfred, where's Selina?"

"Who?" Flash asked.

"My..." Batman adjusted his gauntlet under the cape, "my girlfriend."

The Flash's eyes nearly popped out of his eye sockets. "You're-"

"She left after this morning, sir. What happened?"

"Bane."

"How descriptive."

Batman raised a gauntlet and pressed a button. A phone screen popped up (that was only visible through the lenses) and dialed that number he was handed a few weeks back. The line rang as ge touched his fingers to the side of the mask.

"Bruce." The Flash said.

"Wait." he said replied.

She picked up. "BRRRrrr!?" she chirped into the phone, making a sound a cat would make when woken from a nap.

"Where are you?" Bruce asked. He was still in the suit, but that voice was very much Bruce's, not Batman's. The Flash took note of it.

"I'm at a McDonald's with Cassie and Kate. Why?"

"I need you all back at the Cave. Now."

"What?-"

"PLEASE...just... please?" Bruce asked. The Flash was beaming.

"...Okay we can be there in twenty-"

"Which McDonald's?" Bruce asked?

Alfred jogged to the clock, turned the hands to 10:48, and went into the Cave.

"The one on eighth in Bristol, why-"

"Flash! McDonald's on eighth in Bristol. Now!"

"Uh... on it!" Flash stammered, before vanishing into a blur of yellow electricity.

"Wait what about my-" Selina said over the phone - "-car" Selina said right in front of him. Selina was still holding a large fry, Kate was biting into a chicken sandwich, and Cassandra was holding a half-eaten big mac.

"What the hell just happened?" Kate asked.

Cassandra continued eating her burger as if nothing happened.

"Bruce! What the fuck!?" Selina roared. She grabbed a couple fries and threw them at him. They bounced harmlessly off of his masked forehead. Kate felt like throwing her own food at him, but abstained. Cassandra kept eating her burger. The Flash was once again beaming.

"We had a security breach. I couldn't risk it."

Cassandra stopped eating her burger and looked at Batman.

"What kind?" Kate asked.

"Bane. He had some of his goons rolling down Central City with a crate of Venom. One of the suspects' testimony suggested Batman was supposed to be distracted." The Flash answered.

Selina, Kate, and Cassandra glared at him. He raised a defiant eyebrow. Unlike many, The Flash wasn't scared of Batman, nor the ones he calls family.

"Kate, I need the rest ready for tonight." Batman told her. He looked at the time stamp in his lense. It was already almost noon.

Selina rolled her eyes. She knew what was coming.

"Selina, stay out of this." he ordered.

The Flash looked at the woman he addressed. He deduced that she must have been the result of that weird smirk Bruce Wayne made this morning, but he still wanted to know who the hell this woman is and why Bruce told her who he is, moreover, he felt hurt that he hadn't told him.

"We talked about this." Selina said angrily.

"I know but-"

"No! No 'buts'!"

"Selina..." Kate said. She knew when Bruce was scared. The signs were subtle, but she knew him long enough to know.

"Bane knows who I am! His people could have seen me going to your place!" He yelled back at her.

"Wait, he does?" Selina asked, seeming to calm down.

"It's how he crippled him." Kate told her somberly.

"I didn't have them back then..." He said pulling back his mask, taking a step toward her and touching her arm "I didn't have... you..."

Cassandra rolled her eyes. The Flash smiled.

Selina's expression turned into one of affection. She then grabbed another fry from the cardboard pouch and touched it to his lips. "You earned one."

Bruce looked at her like she just spoke an alien language.

"I don't want-"

Selina stuck the fry in his mouth and sighed. "I'll stay out of it."

"Thank you." Bruce said after chewing and swallowing the fry. He thought it tasted like greasy shit, but he didn't want to show it. "Where will you go? It's not safe in here. It might not be safe where you live. He could know."

"I could take you back to Central." The Flash offered.

"Easy there, Speedy Gonzalez," Selina teased, throwing a fry at the the scarlet speedster, "I'm a big girl. I can handle myself- hey!"

Bruce took her fries. Selina glared.

"We need to gather everyone, The Signal, Batwing, and Blue Bird, included." Bruce said, inadvertently eating a fry. He jerked his head when he tasted the fry and handed it back to Selina.


	24. Blindsided

The silent, ever vigilant protector of Gotham City was perched on a gargoyle, overlooking the city from one of the many tall buildings.

He touched a finger to the side of his mask. "Report in."

"Red Hood, standing by."

"Red Robin, standing by."

"Signal, standing by."

"Blue Bird, standing by."

"Batwoman, standing by."

"Batwing, standing by."

"Robin, standing by."

"Nightwing, standing by."

"Batgirl, stand by."

Bruce couldn't help but smirk under the mask. Hearing all their voices gave him all the confidence in the world that the threat at hand was going lose.

All that confidence was promptly snuffed out when he heard static inference in the cowl, along with a deep hispanic voice.

"Batman."

"Bane." he growled back.

"This is between you and me. Leave the niños out of this, or this married couple will be gone forever." Bane said with amusement.

"The hell are you talking about?" Batman asked angrily.

"If you wish these people to live, come to this warehouse in Kingston."

An image pointing to a warehouse in Kingston appeared in the lenses.

"How do I know this isn't a trap?"

Bane chuckled "Where is your sense of danger... Mister Wayne."

The interference behind the voice ended.

"Batman?! The comms have been hacked!" Oracle shouted.

"What happened?" Batwoman asked.

Batman clenched his fists. "Batman to all points- Bane has hostages. I can't take the risk. Stand down."

A flurry of exasperated and frustrated defiance from multiple voices overwhelmed the comms. Oracle finally got everyone to shut up, then addressed Batman.

"You need to let us help you, boss. This is clearly a trap."

Batman darted his head back and forth in thought. "Have them converge on the location I received a kilometer out. They stay put until they recieve the S.O.S."

"Acknowledged."

Batman took off into a glide. Luckily the warehouse wasn't far. He reached it within twenty minutes, landing on the roof silently. He opened the sky light and dropped in. Inside were two caskets sitting parallel in the middle of the large room. He recognized the coffins instantly.

He buried his parents in them! He ran over to one and tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge.

"BANE!!! WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Batman yelled.

"What I should have done already!" Bane shouted from behind him. Batman turned to him.

"But why? Why now?"

Bane starting walking toward him maliciously. "When I broke you, you had only your prodigal son and your butler. Now, you've established some sort of pho-family... my sources tell me there's a new addition-"

Batman heard enough. He grabbed a smoke capsule and smashed it in front of him, but Bane wrapped a large hand around his head through the smoke and threw him into one of the caskets. His bulky frame knocked it over. He heard a muffled scream emanate from it, but before he could breathe a sigh of relief that the contents weren't what he thought it was, the casket was kicked into him by Bane; Batman jumped onto it, forcing it to the ground, perching on top. He opened a pouch on the belt and pulled out several sharpened batarangs. The dark knight threw them at Bane and lept.

Bane threw his arms up, the batarangs sank into the thick flesh of his arms.

"AARGH!!!" he screamed. He put his arms down, only to see a giant bat flying at him. The soles of his soundproof boots crashed into his face.

Bane stumbled back, then threw a punch. Batman caught his wrist and punched his elbow, attempting to snap his arm. The large arm didn't break, Bane chuckles and punched him in the gut. Batman doubled over, then was met by a knee to the jaw. His head was thrown back, but Bane grabbed his collar and punched his temple, sending him back over to the knocked over coffin. He heard another muffled scream. He quickly touched two fingers to his mask and activated the sonar, he then looked at the coffin; inside was a woman, bound and gagged. She had several cuts and bruises.

"BANE!" Batman roared.

"Heh. Perhaps you've had enough." Bane taunted.

"Never." Batman snarled.

"Maybe we should make that decision for you."

"We?" Batman asked. He instinctively tried to press the S.O.S. button on his belt, but something poked his neck. Suddenly, his body stopped working, falling off of the coffin and onto the floor next to it. He kept sending those signals to his body to get up, but they seemed to get lost in transit.

"I know you, Wayne. You don't trust. You keep trying to convince yourself you're more than the mask... that you can love. Men like you and I aren't made for such things."

"N-nothing... like you!" The vigilante struggled to shout.

"There are similarities."

A familiar sultry voice purred from behind the coffin. The source of the voice walked past the coffin and into view.

"No..." Batman said weakly.

"You sound suprised...pumpkin."

"What of the hostages?" Bane asked.

"I'll deal with them." Catwoman replied, holding up a hand and popping out the claws.

"NO!" Batman managed to shout at her.

"Awww!" she cooed, than walked over to him and squatted next to his head, "You actually thought I loved you. That's adorable! Face it lover, you love that stupid oval on your chest more than you'd ever love me or any of your little cult." she taunted, before pulling out a syringe. "Why don't you take a nap so I can slice these people's throats, 'kay?"

"Don't-!!!"

Catwoman stabbed him with the needle and pushed the plunger. Batman slipped into the blackness of unconsciousness. She noticed the buckle on his belt started blinking.

"They'll be here soon. Kill the other hostage, I shall handle this one."

Bane grunted in confirmation. The woman in purple leather went to the other side of the coffin and lifted it open. Catwoman stooped down, gave the hostage an evil smile, and swiped her throat open with the claws. She then closed the coffin as blood began pooling on the ground and ran toward the door.

Catwoman closed the door behind her just in time, as she heard the rest of the skylights breaking inside.


	25. Who, me? Couldn't be!

Selina was sitting in her room full of various things she'd stolen over the years in her secure warehouse in Little Italy. She was wearing her suit with the cowl pulled back, twiddling with the small golden egyptian statue that represented Bruce Wayne. She was getting angrier and angrier with herself for not stand firm with him. She knew she shouldn't have let him convince her to hide, but she just couldn't say no after he said those nice things.

She pulled out her phone and opened the phone app.

"Traitor!" a voice called from across the room.

Selina looked up. "Robin? What are you doing here?"

"NO MORE GAMES! WE FOUND THE BODIES!" Robin screamed angrily, pointing at her

Selina stood up. "Bodies? What bodies? Where's Bruce?"

"Unconcious and concussed, thanks to you!"

Selina lost her patience. "YOU LISTEN HERE, YOU LITTLE SHIT! YOUR DAD ASKED ME TO FUCKING HIDE! I'VE BEEN HERE ALL NIGHT! NOW TELL ME WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED!"

Robin crossed his arms. "We found him unconscious, along with two coffins with dead bodies in them. One of the victims' throat was slashed open with claws."

"These things aren't exactly impossible to replicate, kid." she said, holding up a gloved hand.

"Whatever. You're coming back to the Cave." Robin asserted.

Selina set down the small statue and pulled on the cowl. "You drive here, short stack?"

"No, I did."

Batwoman stepped through the curtains.

"Hey, Kate."

Batwoman pulled out a pair of handcuffs and threw them to her. Selina caught them and looked at her with distraught disbelief.

"You don't think...!"

"Right now, you're our prime suspect. Cooperate, Catwoman. Don't make this worse." she commanded, eerily like her cousin.

She'd heard those words a million times, and every time she did, her every instinct told her she needed to escape.

"Fine." she snarled, slapping on the cuffs. "Let's go."


	26. Skinning The Cat

This shouldn't be happening… not after he grabbed her hands and had them reveal the man beneath the mask. She shouldn't be sitting in the back of this absurd vehicle he built, wondering why in the hell she's wearing these cuffs that have bat wings molded on the sides.

No… this is completely wrong.

"Just… just tell me… is he okay?" she inquired the driver through gritted teeth. Her every instinct was screaming to pick the locks and knock out the other two occupants.

"I told you Catwoman, you're our prime suspect. We have camera footage to prove it."

"Kate, for the love of Bastet, how could I be in two places at once?" she asked, beginning to tremble with anger.

Batwoman didn't respond.

"…Damian?" she tried one last time.

"Some people don't change. You've manipulated my father again," Robin spat.

The angry lioness' chest was burning with pain and anger. She knew she shouldn't have let him talk her into hiding. And now she's being hauled off….

For trusting him.

No. This…won't happen!!!

Catwoman, with almost speed force-like quickness, unlocked the bat cuffs and back door, then dove out, rolling onto the pavement. The protective layer of Kevlar over her purple leather suit protected her skin from getting torn off. She kipped up and took off toward the nearest building to scale, hearing the Batmobile screech to a halt behind her. The closest building turned out to be a Sonic restaurant- she jumped onto one of the stalls and lept off, swinging her whip and latching onto a another building nearby

"Catwoman! Stop!"

She couldn't make out who yelled that at her as she pulled herself onto a five story building, those words have been shouted at her God knows how many times by cops and so called superheroes. Catwoman kept sprinting and parkouring through the city, not stopping until her muscles felt like they were going to explode, not attempting to stop until she reached 30 miles. She tried to hit the brakes, but then again, that requires at least SOME strength - strength she didn't have. The former thief took a nasty fall, crashing her shoulder into the rooftop.

"OW!" she yelped. Catwoman sat on the rooftop and rubbed her shoulder. Nothing broken or dislocated, but it sure smarts! The feline fatale closed her eyes and took a deep breath – she needed to decide her next course of action. Getting to Bruce was gonna be more difficult, they'll have the whole manor locked down now. They ACTUALLY think that she sided with Bane and committed a double murder. Murder! There's no glamour in killing someone… besides… she knows what it's like to lose someone… she could never bring herself to do that to someone else. Look what it did to her…

Look what it did to Bruce. Poor boy. He watched his father's brains fly up in the air, landing on him and his mother. Martha screamed, scaring the thug, causing him to shoot her in the heart…

MEOW! MEOW! MEOW!

Her cellphone began to ring. Catwoman reached into a hidden pouch on her thigh and brought up the phone to her masked face: it was Bruce.

Shit. The fuck was she supposed to say? "I know absolutely ALL EVIDENCE points to the contrary, but it wasn't me, Pumpkin"?

Wait. HOLD UP. She's innocent; well… she didn't commit a crime tonight. You can't really use the word 'innocent' to describe Selina Kyle, now can you? Either way, she didn't do anything wrong. She felt she should act like it. A clawed thumb pressed and swiped the green phone icon, connecting the line, then she brought the phone to the side of her purple cowl.

"Hey, Bruce," She answered casually.

An eerie and malevolent silence seemed to ooze from the phone's ear piece.

"Look, I don't particularly give a shit what you saw or what you saw on a camera, whoever you saw, it wasn't me. I was in my warehouse, holding the statue that you said represented you, ya know, one of the statues I've never shown anyone else because no-one's ever made me care about them the way I care about you? Why the fuck would I do this anyway?! When have I ever wanted to destroy Batman? Sure, we've fought, I've worked with you for my own ends, but even then, when I double-crossed you, I only did it when I knew you could come back from it, and you always did. Maybe towards the beginning I wanted to get rid of you, back when I actually ran with Penguin, Riddler, and The Joker, but then… I'd realized I'd fallen for you, but I knew I could never have you. It made me reflect on myself. I knew I'd never be a hero, I was a thief. The best in the world, but I found myself seeing the crimes that flew under your pointy nose and, for whatever reason, I found it ruffling my fur. Maybe I was just maturing, or maybe you'd rubbed off on me, regardless I started to like the kitty I saw in the mirror… and maybe I have you to thank. I love you, Bruce, we haven't been together long , but I can't see myself being with anyone else," she monologued into the phone.

She heard a deep breath over the phone.

"The woman in that warehouse… she looked and sounded exactly like you. Your physique, the way to talk, the way you move, even that pet name you gave me," he informed, a pained inflection infected his voice.

Catwoman put a gloved hand over her forehead and closed her eyes, then took her hand off and balled it into a fist. "Jesus. They must have been watching us, listening in, studying us! They fucking invaded our privacy, and now one of them IS FUCKING WALKING AROUND IN MY SKIN!!!" she screamed.

"Selina, please, if you-"

A heavy boot struck Catwoman in the side of the head, knocking the phone out of her hand and dulling her senses. She fell back on her sore shoulder, this time completely dislocated, biting her lip to stop her from screaming in agony. Turning over, she looked at her attacker with ire.

"When I told you to take care of him, Selina. It wasn't just me showing hope for the 2 of you, it was a warning," The Batwoman growled. Robin promptly landed next to her, his hooded cape settling around him, both heroes' white eyes pierced the darkness.

"I say we go for the legs; she'll think twice about running when she has a shattered patellas," Robin suggested.

"Easy Robin, don't underestimate her," she responded.

Catwoman sat up and stared daggers at them. "Before you knuckle draggers so rudely interrupted, Bruce and I were talking about what happened. We were being stalked by someone associated with Bane."

Batwoman stood up straight, her maroon cape settled around her shoulders. "Nightwing dragged him onto a stretcher in the cave. Alfred said he might not come to until morning. Him being awake already is an impossibility."

The former thief slowly got to her feet. "Don't you know, love?" she asked, grabbing her arm, "It's not impossible. It's Batman," she purred with a devious grin.

"Fiend!" Robin shouted, pointing a dark green digit at her, "This is exactly what I theorized! My father allowed his physical attractions toward you cloud his judgement!"

"That's sort of how love works, kid. Look, fighting isn't going to solve anything, not that I can with a lame shoulder, thanks for that by the way Kate, you're such a sweetheart," she sneered.

"Any time," Batwoman replied, returning the devious grin she received a moment ago.

"Nice. As I was telling Bruce, this simply isn't my MO. Murder? Destroying Batman? Does that sound like Catwoman to you?" she asked.

Bruce's cousin stared her down. It unnerved Selina to no end how similar the two of them were. The cold objectivity she fled into when she put on the mask, her menacing presence, the way she moved… it would be easy to mistake her has his sister, instead of a cousin he hadn't seen for years. Even so, Kate is still distinct from Bruce in that she isn't afraid to run her mouth. She's not as humorous as Dick, or as edgy as Jason, but she still knew how to banter, where as the only time Batman ever really bantered, was when he said something cheesy like "this will be you last laugh, Joker".

"People are dead," Robin said, "A man's head was ripped off his shoulders, a woman's throat was slashed. There was a CCTV camera pointing at everything. It was you, Catwoman. You and Bane. This is your final warning. Surrender."

She looked around for her phone, spotting in 4 feet to her right: the screen was broken. Her options were dwindling, she couldn't run, as she was exhausted, she couldn't fight with a bum arm. "I won't go to jail. Not ever," she snarled.

"You don't have a choice, Catwoman," Batwoman told her sternly, starting to walk toward her. Robin followed.

Painted eyelids closed over Selina's green eyes, then she slowly opened them, the exhaustion was getting to her. "You're not even gonna try to call the cave-?" she asked… but was interrupted by a third smaller mass of cape with a head and ears facing Batwoman and Robin. Being saved was something Catwoman was never a fan of to say the least, but on this occasion, she found herself feeling thankful for the superhero-ex machina.

"Innocent."

"Batgirl?" Robin questioned.

"Comms back. Call Cave. Innocent, leave Cat alone," Batgirl replied, a protective inflection infected her immature voice.

"You're comms were out this whole time?" Catwoman asked through gritted teeth. Batwoman made a small jerking motion with her shoulders out of urgency, then touched a glove to her ear, meanwhile, Batgirl stood up from her knelt position and faced the Feline Fatale. Like her allies, her white lenses pierced the darkness, however, unlike Batman, Batwoman, or even Catwoman herself, Batgirl's mask covered her mouth and chin. Selina remembered when this Batgirl first appeared, the suit had far less armor, a shorter cape, and thin black cloth haphazardly sewed over the eyes and mouth. Shortly before Batman sought out Catwoman and asked her if being together is something she really wanted, Selina noticed that Batgirl's suit got an upgrade: the armor was increased, a custom-made Kevlar-like material with polymer plating, along with an upgraded full cowl with white lenses.

"Okay?" Batgirl asked, walking up to her.

"Not quite, sweetie. I think my shoulder is dislocated and I lost my marbles and ran through two-thirds of the city. I'm running on fumes," she told her meekly, then sighing, "where's everyone else anyway?"

"Rescue Batman. Find Bane. Find other Cat."

"You found them?"

"Found Bane, not other Cat…" she told Catwoman, before looking at the ground, "hurt Tim."

A scowl with untold ire adorned Selina's face under the mask. "Where's Bane?"

Small fists with steel knuckles clenched. "Got away. Unfocused, worried about Batman. Failed."

"Yeah, failed is right," Batwoman interrupted, walking up to Batgirl, "Somehow, Bruce is awake. He has a horrific migraine, but somehow, he's awake... Oracle was able to cross reference the CCTV footage with past encounters we've had before Bruce revealed himself. She ran an algorithm that measured your movements, your speech pattern, your gait, and your physique…"

"And?"

"She said that the woman in the warehouse had a slightly different speech pattern. It's not much, but Bruce is adamant that it's enough."

"It is," Batgirl commented.

"Not necessarily, not objectively, but like you said, love has that effect on people."

Catwoman's head dipped slightly. She was physically and emotionally exhausted, not to mention she still feels like someone ripped off her arm.

"Dislocated?" Batgirl asked.

"…Yeah," the lioness replied warily.

"Kneel," the girl wonder commanded.

Too exhausted to argue or question her, she knelt, nearly falling over. Silently, Batgirl gently grabbed her wrist and extended her arm, then put an armored glove on her shoulder, then without warning, quickly shoved hard, forcing Catwoman's shoulder back into place.

"OW!" she shouted in pain, then seethed.

"Hurt for now. Need ice, will be okay."

"Thank you… now please, someone get the Flying Fox here and take me to the cave… I think I'm gonna…" Catwoman asked before falling over, being caught by Batgirl before she could hit the rooftop. She was still conscious, forcing herself to remain awake in case things go awry again.

"Flying Fox, now! Cave!" she snarled at Batwoman as she held Catwoman in her arms. As she raised her gauntlet to call in the carrier, the OraCom incoming call tone played- she touched a finger to her ear again.

"Batwoman," she answered.

"Look up," Batwing's voice proudly announced over the comm.

She did as he said, the suped-up VTOL aircraft de-cloaked above her and descended.

"Cave, see Bruce," she told Selina warmly in a hushed tone. She gave the girl a groggy smile.

"…Bruce," she whispered as her senses seemed to simultaneously dull out, Kaye must have hit her harder than she thought. As her vision blurred, the VTOL landed next to them. A man in power armor got out of the cockpit, but she couldn't make out any more details than some gray and blue, and what looked like bat ears – her eyes closed as she felt herself being carried. In the back of her mind, she knew she was safe, that it was okay to let go, and as much as it got under her skin, she was being taken care of.

It was okay to let go.

She released her stubborn grip on consciousness as she was put on some sort of soft surface aboard the plane.


End file.
